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By Michelle Crowe
PHOTOGRAPHY BY IAN MCLEOD
STYLING BY THERESA DEMARIA
HAIR AND MAKEUP BY LEANNA ERNEST
Michael Osanloo, Rick Schroeder, Mary Osanloo,Nicole Schroeder, Emily Maissami, Sabrina Ribeiro, Sean Maissami, Aluizio Ribeiro
There’s only one place to be on the first Saturday in December, and that’s The Community House (TCH). On this day, the beloved red brick building is transformed from the hardest working multi-purpose building around to a wonderland of holiday cheer, as beautiful as any ballroom and filled with convivial voices.
It’s a yearly culmination of TCH’s commitment to strengthening connections with local neighbors and an important fundraiser for this nonprofit organization. The Community House has always been supported by the time, talents, and financial generosity of donors. Some are generational, with grands, parents, and teenagers who have all attended Fortnightly or played in the 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament. And some are new to the area and have fallen in love with the spirit of TCH and all its offerings.
“When we moved from Chicago to Hinsdale, The Community House became a place for my whole family. It’s a big reason why we are so happy here. What a gift to have a place devoted to creating connections,” says co-chair Nicole Schroeder.
Nicole, her husband Rick, and fellow chairpeople, Emily and Sean Maissami, Mary and Michael Osanloo, and Sabrina and Aluizio Ribeiro, are charged with creating an exciting evening that will fill TCH with guests for dinner, dancing, wine, and giving.
This year, fundraising efforts are focused on the continued expansion of programs and services to families living in an isolated and under-resourced section of DuPage County. TCH has served families in this area of unincorporated Willowbrook for more than 30 years through afterschool programs, summer camps, and counseling services, partnering with a school district that is within walking distance of the families’ homes. The program considers the critical hours after school and during the summer as “hours of opportunity” to allow kids to explore improved literacy comprehension, social-emotional learning, career exploration, financial education, and forming healthy habits.
During this past year, programming expanded to include access to additional classes like tennis and babysitting certification, and this fall a new grade school basketball league will be launched. “Since its inception, the mission of TCH has ignited thousands of bright futures for young people through these programs, with 2023 being its busiest summer yet, with more than 100 kids in camp each day. In early 2024, TCH plans to open a satellite office that will place two licensed social workers within the community to provide young people and their families access to mental wellness services.” said Dan Janowick, Executive Director. Last year’s Holiday Ball was focused on the important counseling services TCH offers and Walk The Walk for Mental Health in May also brought attention to the increased need for many people to talk to a professional following the strain of the past few years.
“The Community House is unique in offering both community recreation and quality social services to a diverse group of people. Willowbrook Corner is important to us because we bring both to a place that is close-by but isolated,” says Dan Janowick, Executive Director of The Community House.
All these vital programs rely on donations. TCH is fortunate to have wonderful corporate sponsors and generous community contributors. The Holiday Ball celebrates those who make their mission possible.
“The strong ticket sales and increase in corporate sponsors show how valued The Community House is to thousands of people,” Nicole Schroeder says.
The Roaring Holiday Ball will be another night to remember. Those who are lucky enough to have tickets to the sold-out evening will be transported to West Egg for a spirited take on 1920s Art Deco elegance. Kristina Taheri Special Events converts Kettering Hall and the fieldhouse into spaces of extraordinary beauty. Dinner is always delicious, local celebrities mingle and speak, and everyone breaks into song.
Guests return home feeling more connected to their neighbors and filled with a sense of receiving more than they gave. The Community House promises a warm and welcoming environment. That’s true every day, but never so much as on the first Saturday in December.
