Past Events

See photos from our past events here

Honor Thy Mother Luncheon 2012
On May 12, 300 friends gathered at the Saddle and Cycle Club in Chicago for our 12th annual event celebrating the women in our lives. Keynote speaker and award-winning author of Once Upon a River and American Salvage, Bonnie Jo Campbell, shared with guests the life lessons she learned from her mother. Friend and author Sara Paretsky also shared a few words after being honored with this year's Giving Matters Award, and four young women from our Simpson Alternative High School book group shared their poetry. The event drew a record number of guests and raised over $60,000.

SPECIAL THANKS to Bonnie Jo Campbell, Sara Paretsky, Saddle & Cycle Club, all members of the event planning committee, volunteers, our oh-so-generous guests, and...
Roberta Rubin & The Bookstall at Chestnut Court
Mission Press
Noreen Edwards Metz, Design Green Landscapes
Christine McClure Photography
Julie Pawlowicz, Natural Charm
Andrea Kayne Kaufman
Rachel Bertsche
Diane Falanga
Kelly Dixon, SunaStudio
Angel Food Bakery
Biejo de Chocolat
Chicago Architecture Foundation
Chicago Children's Museum
Elizabeth Arden
Embellish
Evanston History Center
Feltingstudio
Ina's
Lettuce Entertain You
Music in the Loft
Next Theater
Nuns4Fun Entertainment
Olsky Jewelers
Pascal Pour Elle
Prairie Grass Cafe
Raven Theatre
Timeline Theatre
W.W. Norton & Company

*See event pictures here

WORDplay Gala 2012
On February 4th, friends gathered to roll the dice at The Standard Club in Chicago. It was a fun-filled night of casino and word games, raising over $80,000 to support the programming of Literature for All of Us.
*Mark your calendar now on February 2, 2013 for our second annual WORDplay Gala and join the fun!

SPECIAL THANKS to event co-chairs Elizabeth Posner, Eileen Share and Sandy Toback, committee members, The Standard Club, guest dealers, all of our generous guests and...
Allstate
Mission Press
Weddings, Inc.
Lake Toback Attorneys
Huntley Brodarick
bbj
Michael Lerich Productions, Inc.
Frost Lighting
Sedgwick Productions
The Standard Club
Five Lake Arts

*See event pictures here

Honor Thy Mother Luncheon 2011
Last year's Honor Thy Mother luncheon showcased how literature touches our lives in many ways. On May 7 at Sunset Ridge Country Club, keynote speaker and award-winning author Jane Hamilton charmed over 200 guests with stories of how books opened worlds in her own life. Hamilton is the author of celebrated novels The Book of Ruth and A Map of the World. Along with Hamilton, the program featured four young women from our Book Groups who read their original poems, and we honored long-time supporters and dear friends of Literature for All of Us, Helen and John Moshak. Our Fund-a-Program auction raised over $10,000, directly supporting The Body Project, Retreats and the Children's Literature for Parenting program. Overall, the event raised more than $54,000.

SPECIAL THANKS to Jane Hamilton, Sunset Ridge Country Club in Northfield, event co-chairs Angela Valavanis and Lydia Evans, committee members, volunteers, all of our guests who shared their warmth and generosity, and the various business sponsors and contributors.

*See event pictures here.

Salsa Caliente 2011
It was a beautiful night at the Standard Club in Chicago on February 12th when 225 friends of Literature for All of Us celebrated our good work.

Amid dancing, delicious food and drinks, attendees heard from special guests Dr. Ginger Malin and alumna Jerusalem Singleton. Dr. Malin shared about the impact of Literature for All of Us from her perspective as an educator, and Book Group alumna Jerusalem Singleton spoke on her experience as one of the first Book Group participants.

A very special thanks to event chair Eileen Share, committee members, and all of our event sponsors and contributors, helping us raise over $90,000 that evening.

*See event pictures here.

Nicole Krauss Luncheon
The afternoon of Wednesday, October 27, Literature for All of Us and The Book Stall at Chestnut Court welcomed author Nicole Krauss for an intimate luncheon at Avli Restaurant in Winnetka. Seventy-five guests attended, raising over $2,700 for LFAOU.

Krauss captivated guests with her comments about the power of reading and answered questions about the writing of A History of Love and her newest novel Great House. What a pleasure to have her for such a special event!

Special thanks to Nicole Krauss, Roberta Rubin and The Book Stall at Chestnut Court, and event coordinators Abby Power and Lissa Karron.

*Check out pictures from these events and more on our Facebook page.