GALLOPING GOOD DAY

A TONE-SETTER at a Kentucky Derby-themed event doesn’t get better than that of an actual horse greeting guests at the door.

Listen for friendly snorts and welcoming neighs to fill the air at Onwentsia Club in Lake Forest on May 6— Kentucky Derby Day, 2023—before the start of this spring’s Women’s Board of Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital’s annual benefit, Derby Day Celebration.

Once inside, guests will think they’re in Louisville, a furlong away from those famous Twin Spires, for “The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports.” But they’ll stay much longer than that, dining on delicious Southern fare and participating in fun games with prizes. The evening will also feature a fantastic live auction, a highend bourbon-tasting, music and dancing.

The spectacular fundraising event will support Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, continuing the Women’s Board’s commitment to championing leading- edge healthcare in the community.

The Board’s current initiative provides resources for behavioral health services at Lake Forest Hospital.

“We’re excited to bring this Derby theme back to life,” benefit co-chair and Lake Forest College alumna Jeni Hoogasian says, four years after attendees of the same occasion sipped mint juleps and either wore handsome blazers or sported stylish hats in a Churchill Downs-transformed setting. “This event is next level, a major task, but I’m having fun thinking about it every day and making sure we’re doing all we can to make it special.

“We want people, as they’re leaving Onwentsia Club on Derby Day, to say, ‘Wow.’”

The Women’s Board raised more than $980,000 at last year’s annual benefit when the stalwart organization celebrated its 75th anniversary with a “Journey Through Time” gala at Onwentsia and backed Lake Forest Hospital’s 14,000-square-foot Simulation and Education Center.

Women’s Board President Lindsay Nero expects some 300 guests to fill Onwentsia Club on May 6.

“We’re proud, as we are every year, to support an important cause, this time behavioral health,” Nero says. “We’re rolling, coming off our strong 2022, with our chairs, Lisa Abdula, Rachel Baker, and Andra O’Neill, having hit it out of the park last year. I must commend our chairs, Jeni Hoogasian and Rae Lisenby, this year, too, for their time and dedication to Derby Day Celebration.

“They haven’t been with us very long, but their energy and fresh perspectives have been wonderful, as they work to build on the success we achieved with our popular Derby theme in 2019.”

Funds raised on May 6 will support behavioral health services at Lake Forest Hospital, enabling it to offer crucial access to necessary outpatient services, such as medication management, therapy and psychology services; and to shorten timelines to effective treatment.

“How lucky are we to have such a renowned hospital like Lake Forest Hospital right here in our back yard,” marvels benefit cochair Lisenby. “I’ve been at meetings where doctors and nurses at the hospital have come in, looked at all of us, and told us, ‘We could not do any of this without your help.’

“Hearing meaningful words like those gave me chills.”

The Women’s Board’s mission warms the heart of Alan Georges, M.D. Dr. Georges works in general and adult psychiatry at Lake Forest Hospital, and he’s certified in geriatric psychiatry.

“The women’s work has been laser-focused and amazing to see,” he says. “They fully understand the need for expanding behavioral health services at the hospital. They also know the importance of raising awareness of behavioral health in general. This critical issue continues to be addressed at the local and national levels.

“Our message to patients is, ‘Being healthy goes beyond the physical; you aren’t fully healthy until you’re behaviorally healthy.’”

The mission of the Women’s Board of Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital—comprised of more than 140 talented and committed active, honorary, and sustaining members—is to support the hospital through fundraising, volunteerism, education, and advocacy. Its activities seek to enhance the facilities and services of the hospital, helping to ensure that the highest quality of health care is available.

“There’s a huge range of the ages of women on our Board,” Hoogasian says. “I love that about the Board, love the historical aspect. Some have served for nearly 50 years. These women are smart, passionate … they inspire me. I truly feel honored to be a part of it and a part of an initiative that will bring more physicians and clinicians to our hospital.

“Our Board’s women,” she continues, “are like-minded and never hesitant to go the extra mile.”

Swift horses train to race one and one-quarter miles in the Kentucky Derby each spring. The victorious 3-year-old then receives “The Garland of Roses” and poses for a few thousand photos after entering the Winner’s Circle.

Memo to this year’s winner: Shed your blinkers and horseshoes and make room—the figurative kind—in there for members of a certain Women’s Board in Illinois.

For more information visit nm.orglfhwomensboard.