Benefit Auction 2008

We would like to devote this page to our dear friend and wonderful volunteer, Barbara Twardzik Grzybowski, who died after the Woman Made Benefit Auction in a car accident in Hanover Park, Illinois. Barb was a great supporter of our mission and work, and she helped numerous times and in many ways to make things better, smoother, faster, and easier for staff. Barb’s unending kindness, generous spirit and tremendous energy will always be with us.

The Benefit on April 12, 2008, at Catalyst Ranch, was a wonderful, very organized, lively and most successful event. The Gallery raised $51,000 and we are grateful to the hundreds of people who donated so generously and gave so freely in a variety of ways to make this annual fundraiser a success. They include hosts, sponsors, ticket buyers, item donors, and those who paid for ads, bought raffle tickets, gave monetary donations and helped as volunteers.

We thank all members of the board, Nicole Gotthelf, Wilma Stevens, Michele Sexton-Dorvil, Mary Ruth Coffey, Marty Bash, Margo Jeanchild, Anita Jenke, Robin Malpass, Carmen Perez, Amy Stoeffler and Mary Strickland. Auction Co-Chairs and board members Margo Jeanchild and Amy Stoeffler worked very hard to reach our goal, and we are very grateful to Honorary Chair Ann Regan for her continued great support. Many thanks to Katie Anthony, who gave freely of her great organizational skills. We thank all members of our Auction Committee: Katie Anthony, Pamela Barnet, Carol Augustine, Mo Cahill, Marcia Grubb, Margo Jeanchild, Anita Jenke, Bobbie Meier, Selene Sepsey Plum, Wilma Stevens, Amy Stoeffler, and Kathleen Waterloo. Mo Cahill took charge of the Auction Adbook, securing ads, designing the adbook and printing all the copies. We thank her and all ad contributors for their trust in our work and mission. To view the adbook in pdf format please Click Here

Our gratitude to all our advertisers: Mo Cahill from Pinko Buttons, Dan Waterloo from EzMail Services, Jonathan Goldsmith and Ginny Sykes from Spacca Napoli, David Fredrickson Agency Insurance, DeLux Bar and Grill, Sylvia Toy from Psychotic Artifacts, Loyola University Medical Center’s North Riverside Family Health Center, Jan Brown Checco, Amazing Edibles, Good’s Fine Picture Framing, Grubb Property Management, Inc., Searah Deysach from Early to Bed, Costumes Rental & Sales Theatre Props, Starla R. Sholl, Margo Jeanchild, 27th Ward Alderman Walter Burnett, Jr., House Calls Counseling, 49th Ward Alderman Joe Moore, Pamela Callahan and John F. Walté from Otter Creek Arts, Apartment People, Campagnola Restaurant, Goose Island, Serendipity Massage Therapy, Galganov & Associates, Patricia Gilleran D.D.S., Medici Restaurant, Heartland Café, Plum Video + Flash Production and CBOE Chicago Board Options Exchange.

We are so thankful to all our sponsors whose generous donations amount to $17,500: Anonymous Donor, Roberta and Neil Allen, John Anthony, Carol Augustine, Marty and Jim Bash, Andrea Bempong, Kathy Bergold, Karen Boehning, Paul Breidenbach, Pamela Callahan, Patricia Callahan, Elaine Collina, Diane Cooper, Jean Cozier, Vicki Curtis, Mo Cahill and Paul Ciciora, Michele Sexton Dorvil, Beatrice Fisher, Andrea and Dick Ginsburg, Nicole Gotthelf, Rosemary Griesmer, Carol and Roger Hirsch, Anita Jenke, Kathleen Joleaud, Mary Keefe and Bob Scales, Carla Kennedy, Kelli Kobor, Claudia Langman, Ralph Lauterbach, Robin Malpass from Strategic Marketing, Bobbi Meier, Mary Meyer, Michael and Beate Minkovski, Noel Moore, Jeanna Moyer, Sandra Perlow, Jill Peve, Sri Reddy, Ann Regan, Carol Rizzolo, Janet Schumacher, Wilma Stevens, Amy Stoeffler, Frances E. Tuite, Kathleen and Dan Waterloo, Gary Waters, and Charles Yager.

Thanks to Ellen Wade Beals, Marie McGrath Brown, Peggy Lipschutz, Deborah South McEvoy, Morgan Mills, Louise Pappageorge, Judith Pollock, Pamela Stoeffler, Mary Strickland, Keith Taylor, and Deborah Weber, who gave additional monetary donations. We thank the many individuals who purchased raffle tickets. The lucky winners, announced at the Benefit, are Sandy Sheagren, Karen Rechtschaffen, and Fe Fernandez.

We are truly indebted to the many volunteers who helped make this event perfect. Thanks to staff member Amy Galpin, who coordinated volunteers, and to intern Jadine Collingwood, who did a great job welcoming and guiding volunteers at the event. Thanks to Marty Bash, who lends a hand or two wherever we need most assistance. Special thanks to Deb Flagel, who together with Barb Twardzik was in charge of the Silent Auction. Side by side and with much experience from past WMG Benefits, these two women did a great job to make all areas work well and to make our volunteers feel comfortable. We thank Katie Anthony, Leanne Marie Bazzetta, Janet Beals, Aura Brickler, Monica Brown, Kristen Carter, Jadine Collingwood, Nina Corwin, Nitasha Deogun, Margaret Denny, Sheila A. Donovan, Sandra Garber, LueEllen Joy Giera, Audrey Habermann, Juarez Hawkins, Meg Hayde, Cato Heinz, Karolina Kowalczyk, Morgana Lambert, Pamela Miller, Vessy Minkovski, Mary and Dan O'Connell, Gil Orejudos, Carmen Perez, Katie Principe, Jennifer Quindry, Tom Rambert, Cynthia Staples, Laura Stempel, Monica Sund, Christine Towner, Sharon Uselman, Bette Vidina, Allison Whitley, Gail Willert, and Marjorie Woodruff.

Thank you to all who purchased admission tickets, even if they couldn't attend the event or were sponsors already: Rebecca Barbato, Mary Ruth Coffey, Hedy Cohen, Donna Cook, Jean Cozier, Madeleine and Richard Gaul, Andrea Ginsburg, Marcia Grubb and Pamela Barnett, Deborah Guimon, Richard Haft, Margaret Hayde, Carol and Roger Hirsch, Heywood Hoffman, Deborah Hughes, Dorothy Hughes, Wendy Hutchison, Judith Irle, Beth Kamhi, Mary Keefe and Bob Scales, Beverly Keys, Kevin Kipp, Karin Kuzniar, Carla Lambrechts, Lauren and Francesco Levato, Kim Laure, lMary-Ann Lupa, Jody Magrady, Stephanie Mullins, Katherine Nathan, Mary Lou Novak, Susan Nusbaum, Julie O'Keefe, Carmen M. Perez and Mary Stoppert, Selene Sepsey Plum, Judith Pollock, Corinne D. Peterson, Catherine Schwalbe-Bouzide, Scott Stoeffler, Jere Van Syoc, Noreen Szeluca, Ruth Thiede, Thomas Verdun, Maureen Warren, and Kathleen Waterloo.

The tables in the Silent Auction room were arranged beautifully, and the stage with the Live Auction items was a visual treat. We thank staff member Mary Ann Anthony and Margo Jeanchild for working on that for many days ahead of time. Help with transporting all item donations from the Gallery to Catalyst Ranch was provided by Margo Jeanchild, Mary Ann Anthony, Deb Flagel, Amy Stoeffler, Marty Bash, and Wilma Stevens, and all helped set up the tables.

We had the most wonderful items in both the Live and Silent Auction and we have many individuals to thank for their very generous gifts: Kim Acerra, Roberta Reb Allen, Ruth Andre, Ulla Anobile, Claudia Anthony, Katie Anthony, John Anthony, Mary Ann Anthony, Ariel Arwen, ATYL, Ann Ayres from Ayres Steinmetz Ltd., Beth Bartley, Janet Bloch, Janet Bloch, Dr. Susan Borelli, Paul Breidenbach, Cynthia Brown, Jill Buckingham, Maureen Burdock, Mo Cahill, Ripley Caine, Pamela Callahan, Sarah Chapman, Nancy Charak, Chicago Cubs, Chicago Fire, Chicago White Sox, Karin Vance Chickadel, Chiropractic for Life, LLC, Moira Collins, Marcia Colone, Mary K. Connelly, Sharon Davie-Barrett, Linda Deardorff, PhyllisDi Fuccia, Eileen Downes, Henrietta DuBois, Danielle Durchslag, Searah Deysach from Early to Bed, Toni Bennett Easterson, Aida Emart, Anne Leuck Feldhaus, Linda Fillhardt, Deb Flagel, Julie Foreman, Kate Friedman, Colette Gaiter, Mason Galganov, Emily Gannon, LuEllen Joy Giera, Linda Robinson Gordon, Carol Gove, Barbara Harris, Brian Heard, Laura C. Hewitt, Nicole Hollander, Dorothy Hughes, Valentin Ion, Margo Jeanchild, Mary Lou Jelachich, Shelly Jyoti, Beth Kamhi, Ursula Kammer-Fox, Sarah Kargol, Beverly Keys, Barbara Koenen, Rosalie Koldan, Mara Krumins, Karin Kuzniar, Kim Laurel, Catherine D. Lawhon, Jenny Learner, Sharon Lee, Sally Levin, Max Nichole Liboiron, Harshita Lohia, Rosemary Luckett, Marilyn Madden, Stephanie Marder, Jane Maxwell, Bobbi Meier, Carol M. Metzger, Denise Milito, Pamela Miller, Renny Mills, Doris Monti, Museum of Contemporary Art, Cella Neapolitan, Jean Nerenberg, Kimberly Nikolaev, Mary Lou Novak, Laura Nugent, Mary O'Connell, Mary K. O'Shaughnessy, Louise Pappageorge, Joline Paulson, Carmen M. Perez, East Bank Club, Corinne D. Peterson, Lillstreet Art Center, Barbara Phillips, Julie Pitzen, Selene Sepsey Plum, Joyce Polance, Karen Rechtschaffen, Tatiana Revskaja, Nancy Rosen, Jennifer Roth, Jaye Schlesinger, Beth Shadur, Lin Shook from Perceptual Motion, Inc., Lidia Simeonova, Peg and Sam Simos from Allstar Smiles, John G. Shedd Aquarium, Leslie Smith, MikeSpinks from All Star Sports Authority, Wilma Stevens, Amy Stoeffler, Michelle Stone, Harry Sudman, Victoria Szilagyi, Anne Corwin Taft, Bobby Talamine, Keith Taylor, Debra Tomson, Barbara Twardzik, Sharon Uselman, Liz Vercruysse, Jenny Vrieze, Elaine Wagner, Orion Ensemble, Lari Washburn, Kathleen Waterloo, Deborah Weber, Jennifer Weigel, Charles Williamson, Marjorie Woodruff, Mei Wu, and Mark Zlotkowski.

Our wonderful auctioneer, Candace Hunter, did a terrific job offering the items that were selected for the Live Auction. Fabulous artwork by Pamela Callahan, Nancy Charak, Aida Emart, Ann Leuck Feldhaus, Deb Flagel, Colette Gaiter, Valentin Ion, Bobbi Meier, Laura Nugent, Tatjana Revskaja, Beth Shadur, Lari Washburn and Kathleen Waterloo went to the highest bidders. Thank you to Candace and to all generous donors. Thank you to all who bid on the items and especially those who were the final bidders.

Delicious appetizers and sweets were served by our favorite caterer, Andrea Herrera, and her business, "Amazing Edibles.” We thank Catalyst Ranch and its staff for their help and for providing the creative atmosphere in which to host this very special event.