For The Kids

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend.  Ours was so much fun-- we finally tried the new "it" bar in our neighborhood The Point.  What a great new spot!  And then-- just as I was telling you that I only see my friend Liz every few months-- she was back in Chicago!  So, we had some girl time and got pedicures on Saturday (which I then ruined later that day at the gym.  Go me!) on Saturday and then ended the weekend with dinner on Sunday.  So great to have some more q.t. with her during her visit!

Saturday night also marked one of my favorite events of the year.  No, not Cinco de Mayo or the Kentucky Derby, though those are both valid guesses.  Saturday night was Minds Matter of Chicago's annual Spring for the Students fundraiser (held at the fabulous River East Arts Center), an event and an organization near and dear to my heart.

I swear he was enjoying himself.

The ladies

Minds Matter is a fantastic nonprofit organization that I got involved with when we moved to Chicago a few years ago.  Their mission is to make the dream of college a reality for high school students from low income families.  The organization pairs students up with young professional mentors who help them prepare for standardized tests, complete college essays, and apply for scholarships.  Minds Matter pays for each student to attend a college prep program during the summers after their sophomore and junior years and then sends them off to college with a stipend for books and supplies.  Most of the students are the first in their family to attend college and they have few resources available to them, so it's always really impressive to see how bright they are and what they have accomplished.

I had the pleasure of mentoring a student for a year (and she's now at Marquette University-- success!) before joining the Executive Board as Co-Director of Fundraising for two years.  Spring for the Students is the organization's major annual fundraising event complete with cocktails and a silent auction.  Planning the event was my responsibility for the past two years and last year I referred to it as my "third job"-- wedding planning being the second.  Needless to say, it was wonderful to go this year and just enjoy myself and all of our great friends who came out with us to support the organization.  Alexis and I went in together on a silent auction item and won a private shopping party at The Blues Jean Bar in Lincoln Park-- can't wait for that!

To find out more about Minds Matter of Chicago, visit http://www.mindsmatterchicago.org/.