Plainfield's 'Social Event of the Year' Benefits the YMCA

Hundreds of Plainfield area residents are readying their gowns and tuxedos and opening their checkbooks in preparation for what some call the village’s social event of the year. 

Cocktails, dinner, dancing to a 10-piece orchestra, a cash bar, live and silent auctions and a raffle will be featured at the fourth annual Giving Gala from 6 p.m. to midnight Feb. 26 at the Bolingbrook Golf Club, 2001 Rodeo Drive in Bolingbrook.

“The event is the ‘Who’s Who’ of Plainfield, from mayors and trustees to residents who want to support those in need,” Giving Gala committee co-chair Rob Epley said. “It’s all about giving back to the community and getting something in return.” 

Proceeds from the formal affair provide membership scholarships, summer camp and before- and after-school care specifically for the C.W. Avery YMCA in Plainfield, which is one of six branches of the Greater Joliet Area YMCA. To date, more than $125,000 has been raised. 

“With the gala, we’re not tapping into the overall Greater Joliet YMCA fund so the gala allows more funding for them,” said Epley, a Plainfield resident and vice president of small business banking at First Midwest Bank, one of many gala sponsors. 

Tickets for the Giving Gala are $125, with $81 tax deductible. Reservations are due Feb. 17. 

“(The money) is not going to bricks or equipment but to people in need,” committee co-chair Victoria Matway said. “It makes a difference in people’s lives, people who have fallen on hard times and can’t afford what our kids are accustomed to.”

Past recipients of YMCA scholarships will share their stories at the Giving Gala, which also includes a “Heads or Tails” champagne raffle.

For $25, raffle participants receive a flashing light and spot on the dance floor, she said. Participants place their hands on their heads or their “tails” for each coin toss. The last person standing will win a flat-screen television and Wii system.

“It’s very popular and very fun,”  Matway, a Plainfield native, said. “The evening rolls along and people have such a good time each year. And the next year they’ll put together a table on their own.”

Sponsors for this year’s gala include Central Steel and Wire Company, Ron and Kathy Kazmar, Continental Audi of Naperville, Alexander Macnab & Co., Edward Hospital, Enterprise, Sentinel and Bugle Newspapers, the Plainfield Area Chamber of Commerce, the Edward Jones office of Tim Stetenfeld and First Community Bank.

Gala tickets and sponsorship information are available at www.givinggala.org. 

Residents interested in applying for a membership scholarship or other financial assistance can do so in person at the C.W. Avery Family YMCA, 15120 Wallin Drive, Plainfield, or online at www.jolietymca.org. 

For other details, call 815-267-8600.