Celebrating Our Youth
Throughout the year, our friends and supporters are invited to join our community for events celebrating our youth, Foster Parents,
and wonderful partners that make SOS Illinois possible. These opportunities for engagement allow others to see firsthand the important
impact the SOS Illinois Difference is making on the lives of siblings in foster care.
Please check back regularly to see which events are coming soon!
Interested in hosting your own event to benefit SOS Illinois? Please contact us to let us know how we can support you! Events open to the public can be shared on our website and social media pages.
Dining & Conversation
With the help of our gracious Luminaries and talented Celebrity Chefs, we were proud to present an evening worthy of being shared with you in 2018. As a result of your warm and uplifting conversation we are delighted to announce
that Dining & Conversation will be held again on:
Wednesday, May 01, 2019
Beginning at 5:30 in the Evening at
the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park
Chicago, Illinois
Due to the high demand for tickets and sponsorships, tickets are now only available through contacting our office directly. Please contact Amy Kaczmarek, Director of Development, at 312-372-8200 or akaczmarek@sosillinois.org to reserve
your ticket.
2019 Sponsor
Luminaries & Celebrity Chefs
We are excited to share our growing list of confirmed Luminaries and Celebrity Chefs,
as well as our 2019 Emcee:
2019 Luminaries
Christian Bale, Academy Award Winning Actor
Sibi Bale, Film Production Specialist
Lou Canellis, Fox Sports Anchor
David Eigenberg, Actor, Chicago Fire
Josh Earnest, Chief Communications Officer, United Airlines
Zach Filkins, Grammy Nominated Lead Guitarist, OneRepublic
Gillian Flynn, Best-Selling Author and Screenwriter
Elayne Granger, Director, AT&T External Affairs
Leslie Hindman, Founder + Chair, Leslie Hindman Auctioneers
Star Jones, Attorney, Television Host, and Journalist
“Candid” Candace Jordan, Award Winning Media Host and Personality
Adam McKay, Academy Award Winning Director and Screenwriter
Jamie Rhee, Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA), Commissioner
Dr. Stuart Strahl, President & CEO, Chicago Zoological Society
Scott Turow, Author & Attorney
Anna Valencia, City Clerk of Chicago
2019 Emcee
Micah Materre, Emmy Award Winning Journalist and Anchor, WGN Evening News
2019 Celebrity Chefs
Louie Alexakis, Chef, Partner and Managing Member, Avli
John Coletta, Founding Chef and Partner, Quartino Ristorante
Graham Crowe, Mixologist, TWO
Kevin Cuddihee, Executive Chef, Porter Kitchen and Deck
George Jewell, Owner, Jewell Events Catering
Tom Van Lente, Executive Chef and Owner, TVL Culinary
Dan McGee, Executive Chef, Swissôtel Chicago
Ryan Pitts, Executive Chef, RL Restaurant
Tony Priolo, Executive Chef, Piccolo Sogno
To see further past Luminaries and Celebrity Chefs, click here.
Visit us frequently as 2019 Luminaries, Celebrity Chefs, and Sponsors are announced. Please contact Amy Kaczmarek at 312-372-8200 or akaczmarek@sosillinois.org.
All-Village Graduation Celebration
It’s commencement season for many throughout the nation, and at SOS Children’s Villages Illinois, we are fortunate enough to mark this momentous time for our graduates in a special way.
On Friday, June 23, 2017, staff, children, Foster Parents, and our extended family (corporate partners and supporters) all gathered for a collective celebration of our 2017 graduates at our Lockport Village. It is an event, now in its second year, to honor the children, let loose with field games, and enjoy being together as a community. This year a book fair was sponsored by KPMG. Children were able to choose new books to take home for some exciting summer reading.
STEAM Expo
A crucial component of the Early Leaders tier of the College Bound and Beyond Program is STEAM education for children ages 12-16. Our Annual STEAM Expo – previously called STEM Expo – allows for an immersive, hands-on experience with exciting areas of science, technology, engineering, art, and math. Alongside our partners, including the Chicago Blackhawks Foundation and Swissôtel Chicago, the STEAM Expo helps us reinforce our STEAM curricula, grow our educational programming, and deliver memorable developmental opportunities for youth in foster care. This year, our STEAM Expo is themed around Black History Month, offering youth a glimpse into the groundbreaking, revolutionary impact of Black leaders across STEAM industries and fields.
Harvest Day
Annual Meeting
Interest in learning more about our Events?
Contact: Amy Kaczmarek, Director of Development, at akaczmarek@sosillinois.org.