North Suburban YMCA to host May 16 fundraiser

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The North Suburban YMCA will hold its 6th Annual Ken & Alta Thiel Strong Kids Fundraising Dinner on May 16. The Y’s Strong Kids fund enables families in financial need to participate in the Y’s many programs and services. Shown here: Y child care staff member Kathy Jahn with Evelyn, a happy H.A.W.K.S. ("Helping All Wonderful Kids Succeed") participant .

Updated: March 24, 2012 8:07AM

The North Suburban YMCA will welcome guests to the Sixth Annual Ken and Alta Thiel Strong Kids Fundraising Dinner Wednesday, May 16 at Allgauer’s Hilton in Northbrook.

This community event, which attracted over 400 people last year, supports the Y’s Strong Kids Fund, enabling families in financial need to participate in the YMCA’s many programs and services. This year’s dinner will give special recognition to First Bank of Highland Park (“FBHP”), the recipient for this year’s Thiel Award for Leadership and Social Responsibility.

FBHP was selected as this year’s honoree because of its long history of leadership and commitment to the Y as well as other vital community organizations within Lake and Cook counties. The bank joins a list of distinguished past recipients which include Ken and Alta Thiel, Allstate Insurance, Ron Bernardi, Northbrook Rotary, and the Northbrook Woman’s Club.

Through the support raised by the Strong Kids Fund, the Y reaches out to children and families throughout its 12 town service area to provide opportunities they might not otherwise have.

According to Executive Director/CEO Howard Schultz, “One of our Y’s core values is its commitment to making programs accessible to everyone in the community, including those who face financial hardships.”

The need for support has never been greater: currently, one out of five individuals using the Y receives some level of financial assistance, and this past year the Y provided over $460,000 worth of fee abatements. Financial assistance helps families access childcare, summer camp, membership, special needs, wellness, and all other programs offered by the Y, which is located at 2705 Techny Road in Northbrook. The 2011 Strong Kids Dinner raised $238,000, the single largest source of funding for the financial aid the Y provides.

The Y’s commitment to the community attracted the attention of First Bank of Highland Park several years ago when Patricia Widmar, Vice President of the bank and now Secretary of the Y board, first joined the Y’s Board of Directors. First Bank of Highland Park has been serving the local community and its surrounding neighbors for over 55 years. All officers at the bank are highly encouraged to actively support the bank’s Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) initiatives by identifying and volunteering at a non-profit organization that empowers people of all ages through outreach programs, financial education, or higher education scholarship programs.

The bank has made significant contributions to both the Strong Kids Fund as well as the Y’s Capital Campaign, notably participating in the creation of a new, fully-accessible playground and family park area.

Pat Widmar chose the Y as her designated CRA organization because she admired the spirit of compassion and dedication found at the Y. “I joined the Y Board of Directors because I saw a great fit between the bank’s commitment to supporting the local community and the Y’s commitment to providing much needed services to the community. FBHP believes that it is our duty as a responsible corporate citizen to support the community beyond charitable contributions by also donating our time and financial expertise. I firmly believe that the Y is doing an outstanding job of meeting the community’s needs, and I’m proud that First Bank of Highland Park supports my volunteer efforts as well as the wonderful programs offered at the Y.”

The Ken and Alta Thiel Strong Kids Fundraising Dinner on May 16 begins with cocktails at 5:30 p.m., and will feature delicious food, live music, live and silent auctions, games and surprises. Tickets for the event are $125. A wide variety of sponsorship opportunities are available. For ticket, sponsorship, or donation information, contact Tara Bilby, tbilby@nsymca.org, visit www.nsymca.org, or stop in the Y located at 2705 Techny Road in Northbrook.