In case you missed it, The Heart of Gold Ball is our annual fundraising gala that was held on Friday, March 7th at Rockwell on the River in Chicago. The ball featured an evening of celebration and recognition of the donors, sponsors, and supporters of Hephzibah’s mission, as well as live music, a live auction, and even a Kenny G impersonator! This year’s theme, “A Child at Heart,” reflected Hephzibah’s commitment to connecting people of all ages with their inner child. The event was a rousing success, bringing together supporters from all over Chicagoland and raising a total of:
$494,780 for children and families in need!!
The party kicked off with cocktails, then slowly migrated to the dining hall where tables were decorated with various children’s toys like alphabet tiles, beads, and building blocks. Several children from Hephzibah Home shared drawings of what they want to be when they grow up, with the most notable being dino scientist, president, and Hephzibah supervisor. Our new CEO and self-titled “new guy” Jason Patenaude was particularly excited about the former:
“Every child deserves to feel that sense of hope. To have that confidence in themselves. To believe in their own abilities to carve their own path, to make their own future. But the truth is that so many children don’t have this hope, don’t have this opportunity, and don’t feel that safety. At Hephzibah, we bring that hope back to every child, to every family. For 128 years these people have dedicated their lives to ensure children are safe, loved, and supported.”
The Heart of Gold Award was presented to Northwestern Medicine for their commitment to meeting the diverse needs of disadvantaged children both locally and nationally. Lisa Azu-Popow, board member at Hephzibah and Director of Community Health at Northwestern, said:
“Northwestern Medicine believes that it is our role to improve the health of the communities we serve, and it is truly our humble privilege to be recognized for supporting Hephzibah’s mission of helping children to thrive and families to flourish.”
For many years, Northwestern Medicine has been one of Hephzibah’s most generous partners, providing both essential financial support for traumatized children living in Hephzibah Home and valuable volunteer support as gift-wrapping helpers during the holidays and beyond!
The Heart of the Home Award was presented to the volunteer managers of the Kids Resale Event in recognition of exceptional volunteerism supporting Hephzibah’s projects or programs. Since 2017, this dedicated group of volunteers have spent thousands of hours sorting, tagging, and selling mountains of gently used clothes, toys, books, and games at the beloved bi-annual local event:
“All of these women come from different backgrounds and bring all their talents together, and we all share that mission for Hephzibah, and they truly all have servant’s hearts. They should run companies, seriously,”
said Michelle Galindo, the long-standing volunteer leader of the sale upon accepting the award. Under the leadership of the Resale Event Managers, to date, the events have raised nearly $250,000 to support Hephzibah programs. Everyone’s a winner; families can purchase quality, affordable clothing, toys, and accessories for their children, with the added benefit of diverting thousands of pounds of clothing from landfills. The volunteers are eagerly organizing the next resale event, which will be held on April 10th through the 12th at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Forest Park!
New at this year’s Heart of Gold Ball was the Community Partner Award, presented to Oak Park School District 97 for 50 years of partnership in serving Oak Park children and families through our Day Care program. Dr. Ushma Shah, the superintendent, was present at the event to accept:
“One of the things that’s really beautiful about Oak Park and about this moment is that in a world of short-term thinking and forgetting how connected we really are, we’re here because this is about a long-standing partnership about the right things – our shared interest in making sure that all children are cared for.”
In 1974, Hephzibah established the Day Care Program to meet the community’s growing need for enriching, nurturing, and affordable childcare. Over the past 50 years, the program has grown exponentially – today, more than 800 elementary school-aged children participate in Hephzibah’s After School Program, held onsite in each of the eight Oak Park elementary schools throughout the academic year, and the full-day Summer Day Camp Program.
Following the awards ceremony, the party went wild with guests participating in the live auction for whaling trips in San Diego, Dua Lipa concert tickets, and front-row seats to NASCAR’s return to Chicago. The program concluded as guests enthusiastically raised their paddles to donate, spurred by a surprise anonymous match of EVERY gift on site! A 360 video booth, the wheel of chance, and silent auction kept the party going late into the evening with plenty of exciting activities for guests to participate in. As the party wound down in the late hours of the night, guests hit the dance floor, accompanied by live music and more silky saxophone tunes. Hephzibah is endlessly grateful for our host committee, sponsors, and donors for the evening, whose generosity brought the Heart of Gold Ball to new heights in 2025.
