Peace Village Winter Wonderland Event Founded by Mary Kate Pipolo

Seven years ago, when Mary Kate Pipolo took a server position at Peace Village Senior Living Community in Palos Park, she had no idea of the impact the job would have on her life - or the impact she herself would make on Peace Village and its residents. Originally planning a career in communications, Pipolo fell in love with working with seniors and that changed the trajectory of her life. Pipolo was promoted to Lead Server in 2019 and, in a very short time after, earned the role of Dining Supervisor.

Now in her final year at Saint Xavier University and looking forward to a career in senior living services, Pipolo was required to write a research paper and create a project around that thesis. She wrote about the “Misconceptions of Aging” and thought to host a small dinner for about 20 Village residents to present her findings about the myths and facts surrounding growing older, and to benefit Lora’s Fund, which provides financial assistance to residents whose lives extended beyond their resources. What happened during planning astonished even Pipolo.

“I brought my idea to (Executive Chef) Jason Ison and he thought it would be an awesome event. Jason loves parties. (CEO) Roger Ellens was all in on it, too. We opened up the event to all of our residents and within the first week, we had over 50 responses. It became a lot more than we anticipated, and everyone was so excited.” Invitations were also extended to family, friends, Village employees and guests of residents, resulting in nearly 150 participants at Pipolo’s “Winter Wonderland” dinner.

On January 18th, strings of blue and white fairy lights twinkled amidst the sparkling chandeliers of Lakeside Place, one of three Village restaurants, creating a fantastical winter scene. Blue-tinted LED “ice” cubes glowed in water glasses and sparkling silver gift bag favors sat at every plate. The appetizer buffet was filled with bruschetta, gourmet cheeses, one-bite shrimp cocktails, deviled eggs with a bacon garnish, smoked salmon on cucumber slices, caprese kabobs and more. In the center of all this sat an eye-popping ice sculpture of the Peace Village swan and “Expect Something Better” slogan.

Residents and guests were dressed in their best for the occasion, with sequins and satins elevating the mood of the evening.

Menus at each place previewed the dinner, starting with a winter salad of greens, European cucumbers, figs, goat cheese and candied nuts garnished with a bright and flavorful squash blossom. Guests were then treated to an entree of filet mignon with mushroom duxelles, blanketed in Italian dry cured ham and wrapped in puff pastry, perfectly cooked. This was accompanied by crab Oscar style, charred carrots and squash finished with a honey gastrique and Romanoff potatoes.

“Families who visit,” said Pipolo, “always say they never thought this is what food here would be like.”

Resident Yvonne Myer enjoyed a special meal of squash, chick peas and rice, deliciously seasoned. Myer has been a vegan for 20 years and has been happily accommodated at Peace Village since she arrived. “Many things on the regular menu are already vegan, including 3 or 4 soups. The kitchen seems to love cooking vegan, with interesting spices and seasonings. Chef Jason is just an artist with my meals,” she said. “My plates always look like a picture and they are delicious.”

After dinner was cleared, the dessert room was opened and guests were treated to nearly 1,600 one-bite desserts, perfect for indulging in a wide variety of the scrumptious tastes available. The Willy Wonka-worthy display featured snowball cake pops, mousses, tarts, curds, cakes, fruits surrounding a winter white chocolate fountain, donuts and much more.

Dr. Sylvia Jenkins, President of Moraine Valley Community College, and her husband Craig were in attendance. “Roger invited me during a recent visit. My mother is 95 years old, lives in Louisiana and goes to Mass six days a week,” says Jenkins, “so I loved the idea of talking about seniors being on the go.”

Board Treasurer Tom Miller enjoyed the evening with wife Lynn and his in-laws Jim and Shirley Obriecht, residents at the Village. “What Mary Kate organized here is just beyond impressive. What a selfless thing to do, to put this together to benefit Lora’s Fund. It really gives me chills.”

Pipolo has been a remarkable employee at the Village from the start, winning the annual Be A Star Award last year. The affection residents feel for her is obvious. Shirley Obriecht said, “We’re here for Mary Kate. We bought tickets as soon as we heard about the event, to help Mary Kate. We are so happy for her and proud. She has worked so hard on this evening.” She added, “It’s also nice that we were able to get all dolled up and come ready for a party.”

Orland Park’s Mayor Keith Pekau, a guest at the event, agreed that Pipolo is a special person. “I’ve known Mary Kate since she was this high. She’s always been great. It’s a great family.”

Resident Barbara Polcyn said, “Everything here is perfect. The ice sculpture is just out of this world and the dinner was unbelievable.” Friend Marilyn Werner agreed and added, “We are so excited for Mary Kate.” Also at their table, Georgette Kammer said, “Marilyn is our leader and when she talked to me about this, I knew I had to come. And I am so glad I did. This is just magical.”

“The residents themselves really got involved with this,” says Pipolo. “They put together raffle prizes, made donations, invited their friends and family - they really wanted to show that the Village is an awesome place to live.”

Twenty-three raffle prizes offered something for everyone, and a Chef Jason-cooked meal for six was the solo silent auction item. Over 150 raffle tickets were sold that evening and the event raised nearly $10,000 for Lora’s Fund.

CEO Ellens said, “This is really about how much Mary Kate means to our residents. They are so excited to support her in this school project. For me, her project embodies our mission statement, to change how people think about aging. It’s what we’re all about. All the funds raised here tonight go back to our residents, to help provide needed care and to allow them to stay in the home they love. It’s really special when you think that this is about residents helping other residents.”

Chef Ison beamed around the room and looked to the future. “This party is setting the tone for our future fundraisers. I’m super happy with the way this evening has turned out.”