A LATE FALL AFTERNOON wine stroll and shopping party in Lake Forest is the perfect way to enjoy fall’s crisp temperatures, tackle some early holiday entertaining and gift shopping and give to a great local cause, the Allendale Shelter Club.

“For decades, Allendale Shelter Club hosted a boutique in November and more recently we’ve been hosting wine events,” explains Hope for the Holidays 2021 co-chair Keri Cook Falls. “This year, we decided to combine the two, creating an event where our guests can do some early holiday gift shopping and wine buying at the same time.”

The Allendale Association is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to excellence and innovation in the care, treatment, education, and advocacy for families, children and youth with serious emotional, mental and behavioral health challenges. Based in Lake Villa, Allendale has provided excellence and innovation in specialized education, child welfare and mental health services for over 120 years to families and children.

Allendale is more than a safe haven from a life of crisis, trauma, and neglect. It empowers each child it serves to transcend their circumstances with positive support and consistent, ongoing guidance. Allendale provides children the transformative experience of simply being kids—the chance to make friends, to play, to explore, to have an adventure, to make their own happy childhood memories. “We believe everyone deserves a healthy childhood, a caring family and a chance to learn, grow and change course,” explains Allendale Association President and CEO Jason Keeler. “Allendale is a place where kids have the opportunity to restore their life and discover a better future.”

The Allendale Shelter Club is one of the primary fundraising bodies for the Allendale Association. Founded in 1906 by 16 women, the Shelter Club has grown to more than 60 women, contributing more than $13 million over the years. In addition to providing much-needed funding through events including Hope for the Holidays, the Allendale Shelter Club takes pride in offering “mother’s touches” to the lives of the kids in Allendale’s care with individualized birthday gifts, a Christmas holiday party with gifts, graduation celebrations, career counseling and a “School’s Out!” Spring Carnival at the Lake Villa campus. “Allendale believes in every kid until they can believe in themselves,” explains Hope for the Holidays co-chair Ester Viti.

Join Allendale on Saturday, November 6, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., in and around Market Square in Lake Forest. Shop for a cause while tasting fabulous wines and enjoying live music by Doug Falls and Louie Zagoras. Don’t forget to enter the Hope for the Holidays raffle for a chance to win a coveted magnum of Dom Pérignon Rosé Vintage 2006. Wine tastings in participating stores, such as Kenzy, Lillie Alexander, Valentina, M on the Square, Smiths Men’s Store and Lake Forest Book Store, will be curated by Chip Harkleroad of Courtyard Wines and staffed by winery experts.

All wines can be purchased on the spot from Courtyard Wines via QR codes at each tasting table with 10 percent of sales benefiting Allendale Association. Additionally, all participating shops will donate 10 percent of the evening’s sales to Allendale.

The Allendale Shelter Club Hope for the Holidays shopping event is free to all.

To learn more, sponsor this event or donate, please visit allendale4kids.org/ASC/.