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Saturday, February 15, 2025

DuPage Children’s Museum M.A.S.K. Project Benefit Ball raises more than $530,000

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The DuPage Children’s Museum hosted its annual fundraising gala on April 13 at the Chicago Marriott Naperville. Presented in a world of imagination created by visual arts, song, music, dance and fantastic creatures, the M.A.S.K. Project Benefit Ball was a glamorous evening of live entertainment, silent and live auction items and special honorees, all supporting the education of young children. The evening was led by Emcee Judy Hsu, ABC-7 News Anchor. And by the end of the evening, 350 attendees had helped the Museum raise more than $530,000.

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As Honorary Chairman, Tyrone C. Fahner was recognized as a “Champion for Children” for his tremendous support.

Introduced as the Honorary Chairman for the M.A.S.K. Project Benefit Ball, Tyrone C. Fahner was recognized as a Champion for Children for his tremendous support of the Museum. Fahner is an accomplished Illinois statesman and lawyer, having served as a former Attorney General of Illinois, Director of the Illinois Department of Law Enforcement and Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. He is also partner and former Chairman of Mayer Brown, LLP and is the current President of the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago and Chairman of the Board of the John G. Shedd Aquarium.

“The M.A.S.K. Project and the evening’s events would not have been possible without the year-long tremendous hard work and endless enthusiasm of our Benefit Ball Chairman Ty Fahner,” said Susan Broad, DCM President and CEO. “Ty is truly a champion for children.”

The event began with cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and a silent auction, including bisque masks, beautifully designed by professional artists and autographed by leading celebrities. The masks were part of the “100 Artist & Celebrity Mask Auction” an online fundraiser that led up to the Benefit Ball and raised more than $12,000 through online bids.

The evening continued with a special program by the Anima Young Singers of Greater Chicago and the Firebird Dancers from the Von Heidecke School of Ballet. After the silent auction and entertainment, attendees enjoyed dinner, live auction and music provided by recording artist Lisa McClowry.

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Louise Beem met up with Pastel-la, an imaginary beast created by hundreds of children in DCM’s Creativity Studio.

In addition to raising funds for the organization, the event was also an opportunity to honor individuals who have made a significant impact on young children through early learning. Louise Beem, who co-founded the Museum in 1987 with Dorothy Carpenter, was honored for her vision and determination in making the Museum a successful organization that will carry on her legacy of powerful playful learning experiences.

The evening’s event also included a special honor to Board Chairman Ronald Dietz, who passed away in March 2013.  Dietz was honored with a special video that celebrated his incredible leadership and transformational impact during his six years as an invaluable member of DCM’s Board of Directors.

The Benefit Ball marked the grand finale of the M.A.S.K. Project (Math + Art + Science for Kids), a year-long educational initiative of DuPage Children’s Museum to demonstrate the importance of integrating the arts into math and science early learning. The Benefit Ball event not only serves as a celebration for DuPage Children’s Museum and its mission but also is the top fundraiser for the Museum, which depends on donations and grants to cover 40 percent of its operating budget.

All proceeds from the year-long M.A.S.K. Project and Benefit Ball event serve as an investment in early learning by supporting education programs at DuPage Children’s Museum. They also help to ensure the Museum continues to have a positive impact on children’s learning 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 elementary school children and welcoming over 300,000 visitors each year.

DuPage Children’s Museum would like to thank all of the M.A.S.K. Project Benefit Ball sponsors which include lead sponsors Macy’s, PNC Bank and Grosvenor Capital Management L.P; Advocate level sponsor The Harter Family; Sustainer sponsors Ron and Carol Dietz, Navistar, Sidley Austin LLP, AT&T of Illinois, Ryan Enterprises Group, Bob Loquercio Automotive Group, Northern Trust, Anonymous, Tyrone C. Fahner, The Graycor Family of Companies, Bulley & Andrews LLC, ASGK and Exelon; Founder level sponsors Chicago Marriott Naperville, YellowBook, Fair Oaks Ford/Lincoln, Ron & Nancy Nyberg, BMO Harris Bank, Ice Miller, Sikich, The McCormick Foundation and Res Publica Group; Contributing sponsors Magnetrol, Craig & Janet Duchossois, Bensinger, Dupont & Associates, Crowe Horwath LLP and Konica Minolta; Photography sponsor Randall Studio of Bolingbrook; and Media sponsor Naperville Magazine. A special thank you to The Harter Family and The Graycor Family of Companies for matching $25,000 of the event’s proceeds dollar for dollar.

Photos courtesy DuPage Children’s Museum

About DuPage Children’s Museum

DuPage Children’s Museum is more than a Museum…we’re a force for early learning! Via interactive exhibits and programs that make learning fun for children and adults playing together, DuPage Children’s Museum helps develop curiosity, creativity, thinking and problem solving in young children. The Museum is located at 301 N. Washington Street in Naperville, Illinois, a quick walk from the Naperville Metra train station. Parking is free and the building is wheelchair accessible. For information about hours, Museum admission and membership packages, visit www.dupagechildrensmuseum.org or call (630) 637-8000.

 

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PN Editor
PN Editor
An editor is someone who prepares content for publishing. It entered English, the American Language, via French. Its modern sense for newspapers has been around since about 1800.
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