Tri-City Family Services gala raises $90K for mental health services

GENEVA – More than 360 attendees, dressed in their Hollywood finest, turned out to support TriCity Family Services at its Walk of Fame Gala on March 9 at Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, raising $90,000, the agency announced in a news release.

The 30th Annual Gala is the agency’s largest fundraiser of the year to benefit counseling services and mental health programs in Geneva, Batavia and St. Charles. The funds raised will provide quality, affordable counseling, youth crisis intervention and prevention and early-intervention services.

The event included the presentation of the Golden Heart Awards for long-standing and meritorious philanthropic support of the organization. This year’s recipients were Bobbi and Jim Alderfer of Geneva, FONA International in Geneva and St. John Neumann Catholic Church in St. Charles.

This year’s event was co-chaired by Kanoshia Ferguson and Michelle Rollins.

Ron Onesti, president and CEO of The Arcada Theatre, returned as the event’s master of ceremonies and was joined onstage by Raising Paddles’ auctioneer Dan Campbell.

Special guests in attendance included St. Charles Mayor Ray Rogina and wife, Diane Cullen; Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns; Batavia Mayor Jeff Schielke, and 95.9 The River’s Scott Mackay and wife, Susie.

The main event kicked off with a cocktail hour, where guests sampled hors d’oeuvres and listened to live swing and jazz music provided by The Nite Hawks, posed for pictures with movie star lookalikes and sipped French 75 signature cocktails, sponsored by Sterling Bank.

Dinner was petit duets of filet and grilled shrimp and dessert was tuxedoed strawberries atop slices of cheesecake.

Fundraising highlights during the dinner program included live and silent auctions, wine and whiskey pulls and showcase raffle displays.

Three moving testimonials honored those who faced mental health challenges were shared with the audience.

These included parents of twin girls who sought help in managing their daughters’ struggles with anorexia during high school.

Another was a client who recited a letter to herself about working through anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The final presentation came from the gala’s auctioneer, whose family openly shared their story of loss in dealing with their daughter’s tragic death several years ago.

Following his personal account was a musical tribute in memory of McKenna Campbell, who had struggled with anxiety and depression before her death in 2015.

Jack Fargotstein and Jeremy Schmetterer, also known as The Motel Brothers, sang “I Want You to Know,” which was written in memory of McKenna, who became their friend while the three attended the University of Missouri.

The singers expressed the importance of “reaching out to those you love and telling them how much they matter,” and also told attendees that they will be donating streaming profits of their single to TriCity Family Services, in support of mental health services, the release stated.