Bash and Boogie
January 31, 2012 10:12AM
(from left) Ben Arnold, Sarah Takash and La Grange YMCA board member Jim Hannigan, all of LaGrange Park | Jeff Krage~for Sun-Times Media
Event: Winter Bash and Boogie
Benefiting: Greater
LaGrange YMCA
Location: Village Club of Western Springs
Attending: 175
Raised: $8,000
Article Extras
Updated: February 2, 2012 4:11PM
Nothing warms people up in the dead of winter like a night of dancing and the Greater LaGrange YMCA benefited from warm bodies and happy spirits when it held its Winter Bash and Boogie on Jan. 21 at the Village Club of Western Springs.
This was the first year for the fundraiser benefiting the Greater LaGrange YMCA Annual Fund, which provides individual and family YMCA scholarships as well as helping to fund summer camp for kids. A portion of the annual fund is also used to support bowling and swimming leagues for the Special Olympics for children and adults in the communities served by the LaGrange YMCA.
“This event is the perfect time to get back out after the holidays and dance the winter blues away,” said Joe Takash, a YMCA board member and event organizer.
The evening included an open bar, plenty of pizza and foot-stompin’ music from the band Soda.
Organizers kept the focus on the fund with no auction items or pricey add-ons. “We wanted to kick off 2012 by bringing friends of the YMCA together and sharing our YMCA story,” said Bridgette Letizia, executive director of the Greater LaGrange YMCA.
Recognizing the link between fiscal well-being and physical health, the fund distributed more than $170,000 last year in scholarships and programs, allowing everyone from single moms to fixed-income retirees the opportunity to exercise and learn healthy living skills.
“We were inspired by the turnout and the overwhelming support of our Special Olympics program,” said Letizia. “There is nothing more rewarding than seeing the community come together for the common good.”
To keep the healthy attitude in line, organizers even partnered with the Fifth Avenue Cab Company, which provided cabs to drive guests home safely.
All proceeds from the Bash and Boogie benefit the Greater LaGrange YMCA Annual Fund.
For more information, visit www.ymcachicago.org/
greaterlagrange.
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