FLIPPING THE SCRIPT

You won’t recognize this year’s Catholic Charities Art of Caring fundraiser, and that’s by design, says event chair and former pharmaceutical exec Thérèse McCall O’Sullivan.

Buh-bye, black tie. So long, fancy dancing to live-band tunes. Godspeed to long speeches at attendees. This year’s Catholic Charities Art of Caring—the annual fundraiser organized by the Women’s Board of Catholic Charities, Lake County—will sport a drastically altered look and prompt a radically different feel from the jump.

The month of the happening changed too, from May to September, with the venue now at Knollwood Club in Lake Forest.

“We set out to create a fresh vibe,” says Art of Caring Chair Thérèse McCall O’Sullivan of the event’s 33rd iteration, which will be held September 26, from 6 to 11 p.m., and require nothing fancier than country club casual attire.

“We’re excited because we think the changes will appeal to younger generations of donors. We’d be thrilled if our regular donors would ask their children—21 and older—to join them for an evening of giving back and fun. We also see this as an opportunity to talk about legacy philanthropic work for families,” says O’Sullivan.

“And the Knollwood chef is excited to prepare cool, creative appetizers, like mini-pizzas.” The dinner will be a farm-to-table experience with food sourced locally.

“We want to attract a wide range of ages, so we added a beer tasting ahead of the bourbon tasting at dessert time,” O’Sullivan says.

Among the live auction items: a weeklong stay at a property in Lake Geneva with a spot in a golf foursome at a must-tee-it-up course. All proceeds will support the life-giving and critical work underway at organizations based in Waukegan and surrounding communities, including food pantries, House of Peace Shelter, and the Schreiber Center’s Diaper Depot in Round Lake.

“Too often families that receive state assistance run out of diapers at the end of a month,” says O’Sullivan, a former journalist and pharmaceutical executive who now serves as an Archdiocese of Chicago spiritual director.

“Not many know you can’t enter a day care center without two diapers per child. It’s heartbreaking, knowing that parents have to face such difficulty. We’re focusing on Lake County women, children, and the elderly. We’re addressing local crises, and all funds raised will be well-used and directed in the right way. Catholic Charities is the largest social service organization in the Midwest,” notes O’Sullivan, a native of Ireland and resident of Lake Forest.

“But you don’t need a Catholic baptismal certificate to be a client or to enter the event. What we’d like to see this year, in addition to a significant increase in young attendees, is more denominations than ever represented at the event.”

Hello, new Art of Caring.

Visit catholiccharities.net for more information. Email questions about Art of Caring to [email protected].