Tag Archives: Pamella Roland DeVos

…PLUS AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY’S DISCOVERY BALL, ADLER PLANETARIUM HONORS DYNAMO, CHEFS NIGHT OUT FOR COMMON THREADS, A NIGHT IN BLUE & WHITE WITH CARDINAL FRANCIS GEORGE, DUPAGE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM CELEBRATION, WOMEN IN ENTERTAINMENT, FASHION COLUMBIA 2012, STELLA FOSTER HONOR, PLAYBOY SAYS GOODBYE AND MORE!
 
The Joffrey Ballet’s Celebration Gala honored the 10th anniversary of its Women’s Board at the legendary Palmer House Hilton on Sunday, May 6th. The grand affair began at the Auditorium Theatre with a special performance created by artistic director Ashley Wheater. Beginning with George Balanchines’ “Stars & Stripes,” this segment included a uniformed Ashley dancing and then stepping out of the line to deliver his opening remarks to a surprised and appreciative crowd. It was one of my favorite performances so far, maybe because the evening was so special to me personally since this was my fifth Joffrey event co-chairing with Helen Melchior. We started planning this benefit two months or so before. Our co-chairs were chosen for their dynamism and willingness to work hard to bring this vision to light. They included Donna LaPietra, designer Pamella Roland DeVos, Victoria Holdren, Mary Pat Burns, Liz Sharp, Joan Colmar, Kate Bensen, Leslie Hindman, Jan Melk, Anne Kaplan, Nancy Gottlieb Bauer and Mary Jo Basler.  Maureen Dwyer Smith served as 10th Anniversary Chair. Donna LaPietra (Kurtis Productions) created a remarkable tribute video which was shown during the Gala dinner. It contained archival photos as well as taped comments from Nate Berkus (who had hosted the first two Couture & Cocktails), Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Ashley Wheater, executive director Christopher Clinton Conway, the Joffrey dancers and dancers from the Bridge and Exelon Strobel Step Up programs. There were also photos and video clips from past Women’s Board events as well as member photos. In short, it was a collection of treasured memories from the past 10 years of the Women’s Board. There were many firsts for this event starting with the fact that it was held on a Sunday. This date happened to coincide with the closing performance of the season and, typically, the Junior Auxiliary Board hosts an event to celebrate this occasion. Because of this fact and because we felt it would be a great idea to combine forces, we partnered with the JAB (for the first time) for the Grande Finale party in the Empire Room. From beginning to end, the night was a true celebration in the style the Joffrey is known for. With exquisite décor by Tom Kehoe Designs, the room literally glowed with white orchids and lilies filling lighted crystal vases throughout the Grand Ballroom. Mayor Emanuel welcomed the crowd and mentioned his brief moment in time as a Joffrey dancer. Then Helen and I thanked our co-chairs, committee, sponsors, Women’s Board and, of course, the dancers who inspire us every day. Una Jackman, a producer of the film “Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance,” was the recipient of the Arpino Angel Award. This event was the Joffrey's second largest fundraiser, after the 50th anniversary gala in 2006, raising more than $1.336 million!!!! (Special thanks to Pomellato jewels (41 E. Oak St.), Alayna Washington Crenshaw and Women’s Board member Christina Gilberti for making me feel like a fairy princess! I wore a rose gold bracelet recently worn by J. Lo, from their Tango line consisting of 30 carats of brown diamonds worth $101K with matching earrings ($22K). Also thanks to Bill Zwecker for the great write-up about the event and my jewels in his Sun-Times column! My black dress, which, coincidentally, slightly resembled a tutu, was from STRUT Boutique at 2549 N. Clark St. (owner Niala Conte has fabulous style and chooses beautiful pieces with budget friendly prices) and my elegant co-chair, Helen Hall Melchior, wore Jason Wu (from Nordstrom) to perfection! (Thanks to Mila Samokhina and Bob Carl for these great pics; to see more photos on Chicago Now, please click here!)
 
The Discovery Ball at the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel attracted a crowd of more than 700 guests and 200 dedicated volunteers to benefit the American Cancer Society on Saturday, April 28th. The evening began with co-chairs Anna and Greg Brown (chairman and CEO of Motorola Solutions) welcoming guests to a VIP reception. Brown introduced the evening’s emcee, CNBC’s Maria Bartiromo, who is the first reporter to ever broadcast live from the floor of the NY Stock Exchange. After the reception, guests perused more than 200 silent auction items before moving into the ballroom with a Hamptons theme. Heffernan Morgan’s décor was inspired by the Browns’ home in Cape Cod. Anna wanted a clean elegant look to the event which featured blue hydrangeas and candles inside hurricane vases – it was gorgeous! In 2006, the first Discovery Ball was co-chaired by Motorola CEO Ed Zander and his wife, Mona, and last year, the Zanders were the honorees when the event hit the $10 million mark. Comedian Kevin Nealon was the featured entertainment and he had the crowd in stitches. At one point, he helped sell a Tiffany diamond cocktail ring, modeled by gorgeous Veronica Zepeda, for $30K to a lucky bidder! Iron Chef Bobby Flay flew in from NY to participate in a live auction package that included a dinner for 14 prepared in the winner’s home. This popular live auction package was the hit of the night, selling to three bidders for a total of $218K! Another “live” auction package – a darling silver Labrador puppy – sold to co-chair Greg Brown for $35K. Other packages included a trip to Australia ($22K), a Phil Mickelson golf package ($16K) and a trip for two to the 2012 Olympic Games in London ($24K). Notables seen on the scene included Bill Daley, Kim Duchossois, Kristina and Mike McGrath (who donated a 2013 Acura RDX for the event), Ramona and Dan Ustian, Victoria and Gary Holdren, Ashley Bond and Matthew Pritzker, Blackhawks’ Coach Joel Quenneville with wife Elizabeth, Oracio Marquez, Nancy and Michael Reinsdorf, Sonya Jackson and Kathleen and Mike Henson. Approximately $2.7 million was raised on this night to support the American Cancer Society, aka “The Official Sponsor of Birthdays.” For more info, please visit www.cancer.org. (Fab photos by Mila Samokhina…click here to view more!)
 
For the 10th year, the Women’s Board of the Adler Planetarium held its Women in Space Science Award Celebration luncheon at the Union League Club recently. The event honors women’s accomplishments in the fields of science and technology and, this year, honored Dr. France A. Cordova, president of Purdue University and the first woman to lead the institution. Dr. Cordova is a former NASA chief scientist, a Senate-confirmed member of the National Science Board and also a member of the Smithsonian Institution Board of Regents! Following the luncheon, this inspiring woman met with 250 middle school girls from Chicago Public Schools at the Adler. Chairs for this 2012 WISS celebration were Teri Monte and Lisa Jozwiak; committee members included Nancy Temple, Cynthia Ballew, Elaine Cottey, Courtney Pitt, Pamela Pohl, Meg Prendergast, Donna Beering, Linda Celesia, Sarah Fritz, Caroline Becker and Lisa Lewis. The Adler Planetarium – America’s FIRST Planetarium – was founded in 1930 by Chicago business leader Max Adler. For more than 80 years, the Adler has inspired the next generation of explorers by sharing the personal stories of space exploration and America’s space heroes.
 
Common Threads' Annual Black Tie Gala was held at the River West hotspot, Nellcote. Culinary rock stars for the evening included chefs Jose Garces (smoked oyster soup), Paul Kahan (Dungeness crab salad), Michael Laiskonis (black sesame panna cotta), Bill Telepan (Normandy duck with foie gras custard), Jared Van Kamp (rib eye with Perigueux sauce) and Marc Vetri (ravioli with fava beans). One hundred twenty elegant guests attended this $1,000-per-person event and enjoyed a six-course seated dinner with wine pairings plus a performance by JC Brooks & Uptown Sound. Hosted by Gwen Farinella, Anne Hokin, Sonya Jackson, Brook Jay and Linda Levine, the evening raised more than $140K for Common Threads! (To view more pics from this event, please click here!)

"A Night in Blue and White" began with a beautiful solemn high mass said by Cardinal Francis George at St. Ferdinand's on the Northwest Side Tuesday, May 8th. “I always love coming back to the NW side where I grew up,” said Cardinal George. “Founded 75 years ago at the end of the Great Depression, it took a great deal of hope for the sisters to come here when there wasn't much hope around. My father always had
a job but he didn't always get paid.” Established in 1937 by the order founded by St. Julie Billiart (the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur), Notre Dame High School for Girls is a small (81 students), all-girls college prep high school. They boast a 16 to 1 student-teacher ratio with 65 percent of the faculty and staff holding master’s degrees or higher. The Class of 2011 earned more than $1.1 million in scholarships and awards towards higher education. On this night, the celebration continued after mass in the auditorium with Cardinal George being surprised by Chair Emeritus Dia Weil with a birthday cake and students singing “Happy Birthday.” (Even though his birthday was in January, they still celebrated their 75th year together.) Ariel Reboyras, Alderman of the 30th Ward, was on hand to offer congratulations along with past alums…some from as far back as the Class of 1943. Avanti Gourmet Catering and Oak Mill Bakery provided a delicious buffet for the evening. Molly Socha from ND's Development Office helped coordinate the event with help from students, faculty and staff along with Michelle Durpetti of Michelle Durpetti Events. It was truly a night of joyous celebration as the high school seniors excitedly spoke about the colleges they would be attending as well as how much they would miss “this fine school that has taught them so much.” Congrats to co-chairs, Noreen Musica and Susan Miller, for this delightful celebration! To learn more about this wonderful institution, please click here. I was honored to be included. 🙂

The DuPage Children’s Museum hosted its Champions for Children Benefit Ball at Hotel Arista in Naperville. Presented under the sparkling stars of a dramatic Venetian night, the black tie optional benefit was a glamorous night of live entertainment, unique auction items and special honorees, all to support educating young children. Emceed by ABC 7’s Judy Hsu, the evening honored the late Dorothy Carpenter, who co-founded DCM with Louise Beem. Last year’s Honorary Chairs, Tom and Brenda Harter, introduced this year’s 2012 Benefit Ball Honorary Chair, Amy Louis. The Museum impacts children’s lives by providing educational programs for 40,000 school children and welcomes more than 300,000 visitors per year. (To view additional pics from this event, please click here!)

A big thank you to Sheila Henley for including me in her W.IN.E (Women in Entertainment) Forum TV segment! Sheila created W.IN.E by asking one simple question: “Where are the women in entertainment and what do they have to say about the industry?” With that, Ms. Henley started the W.IN.E newsletter, which grew to become the W.IN.E magazine and now, W.IN.E TV. Sheila says, “W.IN.E TV has a commitment to be a platform for women who are visionaries and pioneers in their field of entertainment and to encourage and provide role models for women, as well as men. This platform will allow women to share their successes and failures of making it in this dynamic industry. W.IN.E TV will encourage and promote content that will be suitable for all ages. W.IN.E has been a voice for women in entertainment for almost 12 years.”(Visit W.IN.E TV on You Tube and check out my segment here!) 

Congratulations to wonderful writer Margie Wilson-Mars for her beautiful and lovingly-written article for Gather News about Playboy leaving Chicago titled “Hugh Hefner and Playboy Say a Bittersweet Goodbye to Chicago.” She has known Hef since she was five years old having met him and Barbie Benton when they took a trip to Disneyland. Her father and mother used to have parties at their home in Miami and many of the Playmates would attend. Margie became a fan saying, “I would sneak out of the room in awe of these glamorous women, just to get a peek at the clothes, hair, etc.” Her article is a must-read for Playboy fans and I was honored to be included.

Our own Stella Foster, Sun-Times columnist extraordinaire, will be honored with the 2012 Dante Award at a luncheon hosted by the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans at Galleria Marchetti, located at 825 W. Erie, on Thursday, May 17th, beginning at 11:30 a.m. Tickets are $45 and can be purchased by calling 708.450.9050 or by emailing jcc@jccia.com. JCCIA’s illustrious members include Dominic DiFrisco (President Emeritus), Antonio Romanucci (President) and Jo Ann Serpico (Executive Director).

Join Desiree Rogers for Columbia College’s premiere spring fundraising event, Fashion Columbia 2012, on Friday, June 8th beginning at 7 p.m. This event will feature the work of students in the Fashion Studies program with net proceeds benefitting the newly established Eunice W. Johnson Scholarship Fashion Studies Fund. Jewelry designer Lana Bramlette (Class of ’97), will be honored with the Alumni Achievement in Fashion Design Award, as her Lana Jewelry line is worn by celebs and fashionistas around the globe. Host committee members include Trish Rooney Alden, Madele
ine Moore Burrell, Gwendolyn Butler, Nora Daley, Susan Downing, Ikram Goldman, MK Pritzker, Shawnelle Ritchie, Julie Latsko, Rich Gamble, Diane Primo, and Mellody Hobson among others. General admission tickets are $150 per person, VIP tickets are $250 and standing room only tickets are $75. For more info, please click here. 

I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s Candid Candace! Please send any information on events, parties or people YOU would like to see covered to Candace@CandidCandace.com! And, as always…

Love,
Candace 🙂

P.S. Congrats to beloved photographer, Amie Hana, on her recent feature in Marie Claire Magazine titled "Call Me a Professional." Her work is well known in Chicago and now the world will know of her incredible talents too! Check out one of her recent portfolio pics from "Red Riding Hood in Venice" – in a word: SPELLBINDING! Congrats, Amie!