The Harbour's Lives in Bloom” 2019 Spring Gala set for April 26

Area residents and business representatives are invited to join friends of The Harbour for an evening of fine food, good company, and to benefit local area youth experiencing homelessness.

The Annual Gala is on Friday, April 26 from 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Metropolis Ballroom, 6 South Vail Avenue, Arlington Heights. Tickets are available for purchase at $200 each ($135 of each ticket goes directly to support The Harbour’s programs) at https://theharbour.org/lib19.html

Guests will have the opportunity to participate in a live auction offering a unique in-home dining experience with our Champion for Youth Award Winner, Gene Servillo. An avid foodie and chef, Gene will bring a Five-Star meal and experience to your home, served to you by The Harbour’s own Executive Director, Kris Salyards. Additional live auction items will spark the interest of Cubs fans and weekend getaway travelers.

Mary-Jo Dempsey, Chair of the 2019 Lives in Bloom Gala reported, “This year promises to be a mission-focused evening highlighting the donors who support the mission, the youth who have succeeded in the program, and The Harbour’s tenacious pursuit of better options for today’s young people.”

The “Lives in Bloom 2019 Gala” is the pinnacle event of the year. By celebrating outcomes for our clients and recognizing our champions, we highlight just how impactful we can be when a not-for-profit organization along with community donors, organizations, and corporations embrace young people in need of promise. A traumatic yesterday does not define their future, and our collective impact makes this vision a reality.

“By providing stable housing and support to enhance both educational and employment opportunities, our services fill the familial gap for young people experiencing homelessness and nurtures youth into successful young adults,” added Kris Salyards, Executive Director, The Harbour headquartered in Park Ridge.

Award Winners of the Night

Gene Servillo, current Board Chair will receive the Champion for Youth Award. Servillo worked for the Department of Children and Family Services between the years of 1980 and 1988 and was a Boy Scout Leader from 1992-2004.

Servillo joined The Harbour’s Board of Directors in 1989 and was elected to the Life Board Membership after serving his terms. Gene retired from his Life Board Membership role and rejoined The Harbour’s Board of Directors in 2016 where he remains a steadfast advocate and supporter of youth and programs at The Harbour.

Four Leadership Award Recipients: The Harbour will honor a young married couple and two additional young people who are leaders in The Harbour’s programs. All of the youth featured during the evening will demonstrate just how possible it can be to persevere in the face of adversity as a young person experiencing homelessness.

“The youth have worked extremely hard to become self-sufficient in what appeared to be an impossible situation when they arrived at The Harbour. They are all deserving of this special award, and we are thrilled to highlight them during the event,” said Kris Salyards, Executive Director, The Harbour.

The Harbour: Empowering Youth. Developing Futures.

Every year approximately 25,000 youth are homeless in Illinois. The Harbour provides residential services to an average of 100 youth per year in our Safe Harbour Emergency Shelter, group transitional housing, and individual apartment programs.

The Harbour, a 501©3 organization, provides emergency shelter, transitional housing, and supportive services to youth (girls ages 12-23) who are experiencing homelessness in the north and northwest Chicago suburbs. It is committed to offering services rooted in the belief that youth must have their basic needs met before they can begin to build a promising future for themselves.

The Harbour provided 8,500 days of care, 10,000 hours of case management, and 20,000 meals to youth in our services in fiscal year 2018. For young women in need of emergency shelter, text “shelter” to 77948, visit harbour247.com, or call the crisis hotline at +1 (847) 297-8541.

Visit and follow The Harbour

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheHarbourInc/

Twitter: @TheHarbour

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theharbour247/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-harbour-inc-/

Contact The Harbour’s headquarters located at 1440 Renaissance Drive, Suite 240, Park Ridge: 847-297-8540. Or email general@theharbour.org