Colleen Cares First Ever Fundraiser
Murder Mystery Dinner Detective at the Dole Mansion, Crystal Lake, IL
Oct 22, 2022
On Saturday, October 22nd, we had our first annual Colleen Cares organization fundraiser. The murder mystery dinner was something Colleen wanted to do, which is why it was chosen. The Dole did not disappoint. It was a perfect setting for an evening of mystery, mingling and charity.
Self-guided tours of this historic home enlightened attendees about the venue. The performers were extremely funny and engaging with the guests as they tried to sleuth the ‘whodunit’. There was great food and lots of laughs were had by all as we raised money to go toward Colleen's causes. Special thanks to our donors and sponsors for a successful evening!
Successful fundraising activities included a wine pull, 50/50 raffle, silent auction, raffle baskets and a ruby necklace raffle.
The winner of the beautiful heart-shaped ruby necklace generously insisted that Colleen’s mother keep the necklace.
Just one of the many heartfelt, beautiful moments of the evening.
“I know Colleen was smiling down and her presence was deeply felt throughout the evening. We are filled with gratitude for the generosity that filled the room.” – Christine Gleason
Mike Gleason with sons Michael and Blake kicked-off the event with wit.
The Gleason family shared the Colleen Cares Organization successes over the past year.
Here is the speech given by Christine Gleason:
“Thank you for being here tonight and supporting our organization. For those of you who do not know, Colleen's dream was to create a 501C organization to support the causes most dear to her heart. Unfortunately, she never did get to accomplish this, which is why I felt I must continue her legacy and keep her amazing ambition alive. I know Colleen would have nailed this, and I am proud of what we have accomplished our first year. We did raise money for Lurie Children's Hospital and were able to purchase a Window of Hope plaque in the very room Colleen waited for her heart for four months. We were able to donate to Junior League of Chicago, a wonderful organization that empowers women to help serve their community. We donated to Donate Life.
Finally, we were able to donate to Red Shoe of Chicago, that supports Ronald McDonald House of Lurie Children's Hospital. We are honored to have Jack Gilhooly and Kristen Sitko here tonight. Both worked closely with Colleen at Red Shoe. Please let's show our appreciation for them. I cannot say enough about this organization.
You have seen other things we have accomplished in the videos. All are equally fulfilling. But as much as we are extremely grateful to be able to support these wonderful causes, we do not only donate monetarily. Colleen was the most altruistic person in every sense of the word. She was so worried about how her brothers, Mike, and I were handling everything. She showed this over and over. The biggest example of this is how she was so concerned about how her family would be able to get through the surgery of her second heart transplant. She made a book for us that I simply do not have the time to explain, but it held a letter to us for throughout different points during the surgery. She also arranged for us to go to a gym in the hospital that we did not know existed in the hospital to distract us!
Another example of displaying Colleen's genuine care for others was when her brother Michael had surgery. Colleen was so worried about him. Her exact quote to me was, “Mom, how have you handled this all these years? It's so much easier to be the person in the bed rather than the person standing next to it or the person waiting in the waiting room.” She truly meant that and repeated this many times.
Colleen also showed this selfless trait when she decided she wanted to be a part of Red Shoe Society. On one of her last zoom meetings with the Family Enrichment Team, she told them of her idea to have a summer camp for the kids staying at the Ronald McDonald House. She knew, when you have a child with a serious or chronic illness in the family, it affects the entire family. We were honored that Red Shoe wanted to make her wish a reality. You saw the video of this amazingly touching event. The four of us will be there every year with family and friends. I will never ever forget what one mom said to me at the end of this year's Camp Colleen. I know how long and mentally and physically exhausting these hospital stays can be. She had a child in the hospital and was staying at the house with her other son. They attended the camp. At the end she hugged me and said, “Thank you. I really needed this after the day we had today.” That really touched me. I know Colleen heard her and was smiling with pride.
We have accomplished so much more, but for now we have a wonderful evening in store for you. Let Colleen be a reminder to us all. Be kind. Show a desire to help others with a lack of selfishness. Put others above yourself. I will end with some words from the second song in the video, If I Die Young by The Band Perry,
What I never did is done.
A penny for my thoughts, oh no, I'll sell them for a dollar.
They're worth so much more after I'm a goner.
And maybe then you'll hear the words I've been singin’.
Funny when you're dead, how people start listenin’.
Go with peace and love.”
We look forward to next year's event!
