Events
Young Professionals Group Monthly Meetings
The Young Professionals Group meets the 2nd Wednesday of every month at 6:30. The location varies, so please contact YPGbetweenfriends@hotmail.com for more information.
Reach Out Event at Orso’s
Reach Out, NFP is dedicated to making a difference in the community by fundraising for organizations who assist and help victims of domestic violence and their families. Between Friends is their chosen agency for a second year!
Join us on August 19th at Orso’s Restaurant! We’ll be on the rooftop for this fantastic annual event! Meet up with old friends and make some new ones while dining on Orso’s world famous pizza and enjoying some fine wines. As always, there will be fabulous silent auction and raffle items, so bring your checkbooks!
Tickets are $40 per person and may be purchased at www.reachoutchicago.org or at the door at Orso’s if available. Save the date and invite all your friends, co-workers and family to this wonderful fundraiser!
Not Your Typical Bingo Night!
"Mark" Monday, August 30, 2010 on your calendar to join YPG for HamBINGO at Hamburger Mary’s in Andersonville (5400 North Clark, Chicago) from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.! For $5.00 per bingo card, you can join the fun and win prizes while supporting Between Friends! HamBINGO is hosted by one of Hamburger Mary’s resident drag queens, and promises to be not a typical bingo night. Food is available off the Hamburger Mary’s regular menu, and drink specials of $5.00 Sauza Margarita pints and $5.00 Frozen Sauza Margarita mugs will be offered - the perfect way to enjoy a summer night!
Domestic Violence Awareness Month
October begins Domestic Violence Awareness Month and marks two of Between Friends most memorable annual events. Near the end of September, Between Friends hosts a ribbon tying event outside Fourth Presbyterian Church on Michigan Avenue. Light Up the Lakefront immediately follows on October 1st, with staff, volunteers, and passersby lighting thousands of candles along Oak Street Beach in memory of those who lost their lives at the hands of their abusers. We invite you to join us. If you are interested in volunteering at these events, please contact Yesenia at 773-274-5232 ext. 20. Keep checking for more details regarding both events.
A Taste of Art
A Taste of Art was a success this year, exceeding our goals and raising over $4,000 for Between Friends’ programs and services! More than 70 guests enjoyed an evening of great wine and spectacular art, with Between Friends at Webster’s Wine Bar in Lincoln Park. Brilliant photography, eye-catching acrylic painting, and stunning jewelry were just a few of the pieces featured from twelve artists for the guests to admire and purchase, while they enjoyed a vast selection of wines from around the world. We were excited to see the many new faces at the event. A silent auction topped off the evening as guests who bid on artwork, jewelry, and gift certificates collected their winnings with 100 percent of these proceeds going to support Between Friends’ programs and services.
Friends would like to thank the following artists for their participation in the show and their generous donations to the silent auction: Kwasi Amankwah, Elizabeth Chudick, Hank Feeley, Char Marie Flood, Karin Hansen, Carol Meynen, Jennifer Norton, Gerardo Perez, Denise Riesen, Camille Sanders, Zissou Tasseff-Elenkoff, Thomas Wright, and Mei Wu. A special thank you to Kwasi for also designing our invitation to the event. We would also like to thank the event planning committee including: Alison Clarke, Alison Ferrari, April Garrett, and Diana Schonfeld.
Bubble Ball Annual Gala
Between Friends and over 200 guests enjoyed the sights and sounds of Millennium Park at this year's annual Bubble Ball at Pritzker Pavilion on March 20th. Drinks, dinner and dancing entertained the guests as they perused the silent auction items such as a Bahamas Getaway for Two, a chance to be an apprentice at Charlie Trotter's and Cubs, Bulls and Blackhawks tickets.
To view pictures of the merriment, click here.
We raised over $90,000 for Between Friends' programs and services, while Azell Madden, a social worker for Sherman School of Excellence, and Megan Twohey, a reporter for the Chicago Tribune, were honored with our Friend of the Year Award for their dedication to Between Friends' initiatives and their commitment to increasing public awareness of the severity of domestic violence.
Thank you to the event sponsors and committee members for making the 2010 Bubble Ball a stunning success.
Planning for Bubble Ball 2011 is already underway. If you would like to join the Event Committee, please call Amanda at 774-274-5232 ext. 16.