Red Carpet Affair dazzles, raising nearly $74,000 for Palatine Township Senior Center

A Night at The Oscars: A Red Carpet Affair dazzles, raising nearly $74,000 for Palatine Senior Center.

 The limo pulled up with excited guests ready to walk the red carpet into the 14th annual Caring Hearts Gala benefiting the Palatine Township Senior Citizens Council on February 15, 2014.  Dan and Karen Fay, the lucky winners of the Limo Ride Raffle, arrived in style with 6 of their friends to start the evening out right.  The “paparazzi” met the distinguished guests as they arrived on the red carpet.  Party Photo Booths captured the evening with elegant full length 4 x 6 photos before 9:00pm and traditional photo booth shots after 9:00pm, sponsored by Lavelle Law, Ltd. 

The evening began with a complimentary cocktail reception with hand passed hors d’ oeuvres, followed by a four-course dinner with wine and double entrée and complimentary bar the remainder of the evening. 

One highlight of the evening, for the crowd of 215, was hearing who received the PTSCC Oscar Awards.

And the PTSCC Oscar awards go to……

Laurie Stock and Marla Shapiro-Gillen for the Best Gala Co-Chairs Award, for their creative spirit and unwavering support for the Senior Center.  Laurie has been involved with the Gala since 2005 and has been Chair or Co-Chair for five years.  Marla has been involved with the Gala since 2012 and also co-chaired in 2013. 

Best Board Chair Award went to Karen Fay, for her dedication and fundraising expertise.   Karen has been a PTSCC Officer since 2010 and Board Chair since 2013.  Karen was Gala Chair in 2011 and Gala Co-Chair in 2012.

Marktime Media received the award for Best Cinematography.  Chris Schulp was present to accept his award for donating his time and talents in creating and producing the Gala video, that brings the stories of PTSCC’s clients and caregivers to life.

Lawrence Tuke of Combustion Point was the winner of the Best Graphic Design award for donating his time to create vibrant and eye-catching save-the-date cards, the invitation package, program cover, and signage.

Best Auctioneer award recipient Norm Andrews graciously accepted his award for 40 years of donating his time as a charity auctioneer to various organizations where he has helped raise over seven million dollars.

“I want to thank all of the staff and board of directors for all their help in making this event possible and to all of our supporters. We couldn’t have done it without you!” said Julie Selof, winner of the Best Fundraiser award.  John Mahler, our emcee for the evening, announced that since Julie started in 2011 as Development Associate, our fundraisers have flourished.  For example, Julie and the Gala Committee increased Gala sponsorships by 33% over our 2013 event!

Winner of the Best Director award was Carol Reagan, for nearly 15 years as Executive Director of PTSCC. Carol has also served as the Chair of the National Institute of Senior Centers since 2012. In that capacity Carol has visited senior centers throughout the United States including Alaska in 2013, where she was an invited speaker to AgeNet, the Alaska Geriatric Exchange Network. Carol will be the keynote speaker at a conference in Taiwan in March, 2014 where she will discuss senior centers in the United States.

For Best Emcee, John Mahler was presented his award for his outstanding skills as master of ceremonies of the Gala for the past 5 years.   His ability to “roll with the punches” and get the attention of people is a much-needed and greatly appreciated skill.

And the one you’ve all been waiting for, the Lifetime Achievement Award.  And the winner is Rem Stokes, also the Guest of Honor for the evening.  His dedication to PTSCC, generosity and ideas made him the clear winner.  Rem received a standing ovation for his ideas that have generated over $1.23 million over the past 15 years, to support the programs and services of PTSCC.  Rem’s energy and enthusiasm brought PTSCC to a higher level, allowing us to serve more clients and lay a foundation for the future.  His new book, Cultivating  Generosity:  Giving What’s Right, Not What’s Left, shares his experience and wisdom with others.

The “Oscars” presented were actually edible chocolate statuettes donated by Rhonda Dehn from Morkes Chocolates.  

The PTSCC “Magic Men” kicked off this year’s live auction with a crowd pleasing rendition of the Village People’s “Macho Man”.  With smiles on faces and laughter in the air, bidding started high as the guys exited the dance floor.   A touching video, produced by Marktime Media was shown honoring the Guest of Honor, Rem Stokes and highlighting the Caring Hearts Adult Day Care and the Social Services department.

The Original Rockin’ Fenderskirts got everyone out of their seats to dance after the program while Rem Stokes was signing his new book.  There were 136 silent auction items, three lucky winners for our cash raffle, and one thrilled winner for our large raffle item, a 50” LED TV.

Thank you to our fabulous Gala committee, many volunteers, individuals, and businesses that helped raise nearly $74,000 including donations made to the Stokes Fund, PTSCC’s endowment fund.

“As a sponsor we were so pleasantly surprised at how much fun we had and look forward to continuing to sponsor the Senior Center and its events,” said Jim Meier with MeritCorp Group, LLC.

Thank you to the “paparazzi” Gene Vaynrub for capturing the spirit of the evening as our photographer.

We’d like to honor the Gala Committee members for their contributions to the Palatine Township Senior Citizens Council and to the community.  Gala Co-Chairs: Marla Shaprio-Gillen and Laurie Stock and committee members: Phyllis Benstein, Donelda Danz, Karen Fay, Bob Haas, Ashley Hamm, Diane Iser, John Mahler, Carol Reagan, Julie Selof and Barbara Tomasello.

Thank you to our generous Gala Sponsors:  

Red Carpet Circle:  BlueCross and BlueShield of Illinois; BMO Harris Bank; Raco Industrial Corporation/Martha Atherton. 

Diamond Circle:  Marktime Media; Ray and Judy McCaskey; Northrop Grumman; Palatine Park District

Platinum Circle: C. Norman Andrews-Noted Auctioneer; Palatine Bank and Trust; Northwest Community Healthcare; Partners in Primary Care.

Gold Circle: Alexian Brothers Medical Center; BIK & Co, LLP; Brandt Financial Concepts Inc.;
MeritCorp Group, LLC; Cedar Lake Assisted Living & Memory Care; Comfort Keepers;  Eastgate Manor; Lifelong Learning Institute at Harper College; Mature Health Services; Tamarack Independent Retirement Living; The Garlands of Barrington; A.L. Sittaro, CPA.

Silver Circle: Castle Chiropractic, Ltd; d’Vine Wine and Gifts; Emeritus at Prospect Heights; First Midwest Bank; Grade Power Learning; Lutheran Home; Plum Grove Nursing & Rehab; Plum Creek Supportive Living;    Rem and Lee Stokes; and Barbara and Richard Tomasello.

Media Sponsor: Daily Herald Media Group.

Photo Booth Sponsor: Lavelle Law, Ltd.

Our Oscar award winning mission is to provide programs and services that support older adults and their families by encouraging independence, well-being, and connection to the community. Our Recreation, Education, Health and Wellness, Noon Dining, Home Delivered Meals, Adult Day Care, and Social Services programs are available to persons 50 and older and their families who live in Palatine Township and the surrounding communities in the north and northwest suburbs.  Services are available in English, Spanish and Russian at seven satellite locations.  Our Social Services staff also makes home visits as needed.  For more information, visit our website at www.ptscc.org, like us on http://www.facebook.com/palatinetwpsrctr or call 847-991-1112.