Thank you!
Great vibes were in the air Saturday night as 175 guests and musicians filled Atherton Hall with amazing music and good will, celebrating our fall fundraiser “Music with a Mission.” This event netted about $4300 from 136 donations, benefiting Chalice House and our three Service Partners : Partners for Our Communities (POC), Faith in Place, and Illinois Community for Displaced Immigrants (ICDI). The 50/50 raffle raised $1380 and was split between Faith Feeds Food Pantry and winner Edie Reese.
Jeff Phillips worked throughout the year to recruit musicians from our local music scene, and served as producer, talent and tech director, and emcee of the evening. There were ten fabulous musical acts which included a Patsy Cline tribute band, a hip-hop artist, Bob Doto’s band “Pipe Dream”, a flamenco guitarist, and the Countryside Choir and Peace River Band. Timothy, our Chalice House resident, amazed the crowd, singing an excerpt from Chinese Peking Opera!
Mari Van Meter and Nancy Dempsey co-chaired the event with committee members Margaret Myren and Debbie Lee. They were assisted by other members of the Justice Matters Committee: Co-Chair Bill Scown; POC Liaison Mike Berry; and ICDI Liaison Lillian Schnitzler. Once again, Ed Monson spent the evening managing kitchen duties, and Judy Ball, John Evans and Mike Calwas organized the bar.
Additional volunteers provided refreshments and volunteered their time to help the event run smoothly: Matt Myren, Laura Doto, David Williams, Patti Janda, RInn Clasen, Coleen Hall, Peggy Simonsen, Lisa Christensen, Karolina Kozakiewicz, Sue Montgomery, Barbara Perry, Chaz Ruhl, Mary Freemire, Jenny Brennan, Bailey Pierce, Lois Phillips, Cathy Maraist, Juli Cicarelli, Tom Dempsey, Ellen Vinzani, Laura Corrigan, Carol Bobbe, Karen Epps, Chaz Ruhl, Denise Sepos, Joy SImon, Coleen Hall, George Motto, Linda Berry, Jeannie Scown, Lisa GIlley, Rick Rayborn, Leslie Peet, Julie Zuidema, Kevin Christiansen, Cindy Thornton, Bob Dow, and Barrie Burr.
THANK YOU ALL!
This was a world celebration, with friends joining us from Turkey and Japan as well as former Chalice House residents Alex and Yevheniia from Ukraine, and our current Chalice House family from China – Timothy, Melanie, Isabella, and Joseph. Service Partner representatives and musicians came from our surrounding community, joining Countrysiders for a memorable evening of great music, fun, and camaraderie!
Countryside Church UU is proud to support Our Service Partners.
Chalice House is a shared project with CCUU, Illinois Community for Displaced Immigrants (ICDI), Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, a dozen other local faith organizations, and many individual supporters. Together, we provide temporary housing and hospitality to immigrants seeking legal protection and a new life in the United States in order to escape from a serious threat (e.g., violence, persecution, war) in their home country. www.ccuu.org/chalicehouse
Illinois Community for Displaced Immigrants (ICDI) is a non-profit organization that reunites families separated by the US immigration system and helps them integrate into our communities by providing direct services, clothing, housing and guidance. ICDI envisions and advocates for immigrant justice at the local, state and national levels. www.icdichicago.org
Faith in Place empowers Illinois people of all faiths and spiritualities to be leaders in caring for the Earth, advancing environmental and racial justice, and providing resources to educate, connect, and advocate for healthier communities. Faith in Place implements programs in Climate Change and Energy, Sustainable Food and Land Use, Water Preservation, Advocacy and Youth Empowerment. www.faithinplace.org
Partners for Our Community (POC) empowers people and changes lives with a vision for a community of strong citizens, healthy families, and vibrant neighborhoods. POC aligns and facilitates partnerships among multiple agencies to connect children and families to needed services and resources in education, employment, health & wellness, youth development, and adult leadership. www.poc.news
