Face the Future Foundation’s Associate Board

May 27, 2015 in I On Luxury Lifestyle

Spread the love

Face the Future Foundation’s Associate Board’s 6^th annual Derby Party at the Fortnightly Club. Held the first Saturday of May, and known as the first jewel of the Thoroughbred Horse Racing Triple Crown, the Kentucky Derby brings out fashion and horse racing fans alike. Over 150 of Chicago’s most fashionable young professionals turned out in fancy wide-brimmed hats, fascinators, smart suits, and colorful attire to watch the 141^st “Run for the Roses”.

In addition to the famous Derby classic -the mint julep- the Greyhound, a vodka and grapefruit concoction, was a popular choice. The buffet was a lavish offering of southern fare: Cod cakes with Meyer lemon sauce, homemade crispy-fried chicken, country ham and cheddar biscuits, fried green tomatoes, deviled eggs, mac and cheese, mint-flavored cupcakes and more.

Members of the Associate Board and friends

Jessica Ke, Emile Nicholl, Katie Nicholl

Damian Kosydar, Joe Seigle, Dodd Browning

Honorees Sean Eshaghy, Maury Vanden Eykel, Ryan Conner, Linsey Payne

Guests bid on a mini silent auction which included 15 bottles of fine wine, a stay at Hôtel Americano, located in the heart of Chelsea in New York City, front-row seats to a Cubs game and premium tickets to a Bears game in the United Club. Guests also tried their luck placing bets in raffle buckets for a chance to win one of over a dozen prizes.

Associate Board President Johara Farhadieh, congratulated event co-chairs, Ali Tierney, and George Dorhmann and recognized Sean Eshaghy, the board founder, along with other honorees, Linsey Payne, Ryan, and Vicki Conner, Shelly Perkowski and Maury Vanden Eykel. Each honoree was given a red cap, a nod to the Face the Future Foundation logo which features a child soaring into a bright future with their red cap floating behind. Winners of the Best Hat and Best Dressed were Khadija El-Harazin and Taylor Bass.

Over $30,000 was raised through the event ticket sales, raffle and silent auction. Proceeds benefit the Face the Future Foundation’s Associate Board which supports the work of The Craniofacial Center at the University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago. The Center is dedicated to the care and treatment of children born with cleft lip, palate and other craniofacial differences and to expanding healthcare access to underserved children, in the Chicago area, who suffer from craniofacial conditions. No child is turned away on the basis of ability to pay and more than 5,000 Chicago-area kids are helped annually.

Jesse Boomsma-Gold, Alyssa Arnold, Erik Swanson, Abigal Conover

RJ Yozwiak, James DeMaco, Maggie Mahowald, Taylor Bass, Kelly Hanlon, Tom Seymour, John Derkach

Dodd Browning, Elisa Laffey, Christine Browning, Melissa Peck, Kevin Bacon

Justin Bagdzius, Austin Wadman, Bill Mrazek

The premium sponsors for this year’s event included William Blair; The Kirschner Family; The Perkowski Family; and Sidley Austin. Bredemann Dealership, Andrea Biel-Cohen, Utz&Lattan and Woodford Reserve were also sponsors.

Feature photo: Members of the Associate Board and friends

Photo Credit: Megan Zagger

Article: Margaret J. O’Connor

About Margaret O'Connor

Margaret J. O’Connor is the founder/owner of MarCon Communications, a public relations and special events firm which handles the publicity and event needs for a diverse range of clients. She’s involved with numerous charities in Chicago and is active in its lifestyle and social scene. She grew up and was educated in Africa, Australia and America and holds degrees in marketing and finance from the University of Illinois. She is a contributing writer to many print and digital publications and her focus is lifestyle, culinary and nonprofit events. Read more from this author.