March 18, 2016
BY JUDY CARMACK BROSS
Earlier this month, over four hundred members and guests of the Junior League Chicago gathered underneath the glittering Tiffany glass dome of the Chicago Cultural Center, to celebrate community partnerships and the vibrancy of volunteering. The evening mirrored the glamour of its 100th birthday gala four years ago that was dedicated to the fabled founder of the Chicago League, Lucy McCormick Blair Linn.
Over $100,000 was raised for the League’s core programs that empower at-risk families, particularly women and girls, through mentoring, advocacy, and education.
Chicago’s ABC7 News Anchor Judy Hsu hosted the evening that also celebrated the 25-year partnership with the Women’s Treatment Center (TWTC). League members give 50 hours per month to help women at TWTC develop the skills they need to live independent lives.
Ann Brinkman Carstensen serves as President of the Junior League, which has more than two thousand members and donates over 200,000 hours yearly to the community.
Heidi Thornton (Fundraising Director, Junior League of Chicago), Ann Brinkman Carstensen (President, Junior League of Chicago), Kelly McClure (Executive Vice President, Junior League of Chicago), and Judy Hsu (co-anchor, ABC7 News This Morning.
Carstensen with Florence Wright, Clinical Director of the Women’s Treatment Center.
The Junior League of Chicago’s Annual Gala Committee members in the Chicago Cultural Center’s Preston Bradley Hall.
Ann Brinkman Carstensen and Judy Hsu opening the Annual Gala.
The Junior League of Chicago’s Annual Gala in full swing at the Chicago Cultural Center.
Photo Credits: Kathleen Virginia Photography
