The Power of Play

By
July 2019 View more

  • Four friends pose at Play Soiree, which supports early learning experiences.
  • Alan Krashesky, Kaylin Risvold and Colleen Merritt.
  • 2019 Great Friend to Kids Award recipient Ronald McDaniel with DCM president Sarah Orleans and 2018 award recipient Robert A. Livingston.
  • DCM board chairman Mark Trembacki and ABC7 emcee Judy Hsu.
  • Lisa McClowry as Cher with “I Got You Babe” duet partner, Naperville Mayor Steve Chirico.

DuPage Children’s Museum raised a record-breaking $656,000 at its annual Benefit Ball on Saturday, April 6, at Esplanade Lakes in Downers Grove. Over 350 people attended Play Soiree to celebrate the “power of play” and the child-adult learning partnership that is the core of the museum’s mission.

ABC7 news anchor Judy Hsu emceed the evening, which featured a cocktail reception, dinner, live and silent auctions, paddle raise, and a variety of entertainment. Retiring DCM president and CEO Sarah Orleans was honored for her leadership contributions, and longtime donor Ronald McDaniel, president of Western-Cullen-Hayes, received the museum’s Great Friend to Kids award.

The evening included a special appearance by Cher (performed by singer-songwriter Lisa McClowry), who recruited Mayor Steve Chirico to play the role of Sonny during her rendition of “I Got You Babe.” The high point of the evening came when McDaniel offered a challenge match to the room and raised more than $100,000 in cash donations in honor of Orleans’s retirement.

Photos by Ron Hume