DuPage Children’s Museum will host its Annual Benefit Ball on Sat., April 12 at the Chicago Marriott Naperville.
The black tie optional benefit, which supports the education of young children, will include live entertainment, silent and live auction items, and special honorees, including Past President & CEO Susan Broad, who will be recognized for more than 22 years of dedicated service to DCM.
The Benefit Ball is part of DuPage Children’s Museum’s Setting the Stage for Innovation, a year-long focus to develop the next generation of innovators through exhibits, public programs and community outreach. In addition to serving as a celebration for DuPage Children’s Museum and its mission, the annual ball is the top fundraiser for the Museum, which depends on donations and grants to cover 40 percent of its operating budget.
Scott C. Swanson, President, PNC Bank Illinois, will serve as the Honorary Chair of the Setting the Stage for Innovation Benefit Ball. Swanson is a leader in the banking industry, heading the local executive team at PNC Bank, a company dedicated to investing in high-quality early education and school initiatives. He is active in the Chicago community, serving as chairman of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and on the executive committees of Adler Planetarium and LISC Chicago. He also serves on the board of directors of After School Matters, the Big Shoulder Fund, the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center, and the Executives’ Club of Chicago.
Judy Hsu, ABC-7 News Anchor, will once again serve as Emcee for the Benefit Ball. In addition to her anchor responsibilities, she reports for ABC-7’s daily newscast and hosts an Emmy-nominated parenting segment on the morning show “For Your Family.”
Innovation begins at 5:30PM April 12
The event begins at 5:30PM with cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and a silent auction. The evening will continue with a special program by Neuqua Valley WildScats Gold Vocal Jazz, followed by dinner and a live auction at 7:30PM. Dessert and dancing will conclude the event, with live music provided by the Al Sophia Band.
Co-chairs Mary Ann Bobosky and Nancy Nyberg will also be given special recognition in honor of their long-time participation in the Annual Benefit Ball and their commitment to DCM’s mission.
This year’s event will also feature Rube Goldberg-inspired machines built by Naperville’s Expert Plumbing, Northern Illinois University’s STEM Outreach, and DuPage Children’s Museum staff. The machines, which were created as part of the Museum’s Organizations at Play event in February 2014, were judged by Contraptionist and Creative Technologist Brett Doar and will be on display the evening of the Benefit Ball. The event will also feature artwork designed by students from J. W. Gates Elementary School, who were challenged to create technical drawings of machines. The students reviewed designs of real machines, as well as humorous ideas by the cartoonist Rube Goldberg, to design the blueprint for their innovative creations.
All proceeds from the Benefit Ball serve as an investment in early learning by supporting educational programs at DuPage Children’s Museum. They also help to ensure that the Museum continues to lead in this area by providing open-ended experiences in math, science, and the arts. The Museum achieves these goals by providing educational programs for more than 21,000 school children and welcoming over 300,000 visitors each year.
For more information regarding tickets, sponsorships and donations, or the Setting the Stage for Innovation theme, visit www.dupagechildrensmuseum.org.
Story submitted by Brianne Bromberek, Marketing Manager, DuPage Children’s Museum
