WORLD’S LARGEST RONALD McDONALD HOUSE BREAKS GROUND!

Ronald McDonald was one really happy Officer of Happiness this week when the groundbreaking ceremony took place at 211 E. Grand for the World’s Largest Ronald McDonald House!!! The tent was packed on this beautiful fall day and everyone was wearing their signature red scarves. I believe the planning committee hadn’t anticipated this unseasonably warm weather since there was also hot chocolate being served as well as these warm winter scarves which were handed out to each guest. The School of Rock played the National Anthem in a way I had never heard it done before. It was really cool and the band was terrific! Mark Giangreco from ABC-7 Sports was an honorary chair and emcee and there were lots of VIP’s in the crowd including Ray Kroc’s right hand man, Fred Turner. Chicago Bears cornerback Charles (Peanut) Tillman and his family were onstage as well as little Max Herrick, who was also a star at Glamorama. Charles spoke movingly about how important the House was to him, his wife Jackie and daughter Tiana as she recovered from her heart surgery. He said, “Ronald McDonald House was our home...” Mr. Patrick Magoon also spoke about the House’s importance to the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and the project architect Joe Antunovich talked about bringing the House to life. Mr. Doug Porter, CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana, gave details on the wonderful plans: He told us the House would include 86 guest rooms, a rooftop healing garden, communal kitchens, dining and living spaces, a chapel, an internet and resource center, two outdoor dining patios overlooking Grand Avenue and each family will have a private pantry. There will be no TVs in the bedrooms since an objective is to have families bond over their shared experiences. In many cases, lifelong friendships are forged. This new house will provide a “home away from home” to keep families together while their child is receiving critical medical treatment. Construction will begin in February 2011 and the House will open in mid-2012. RMHC will also offer nine rooms within the hospital for the families of the most medically fragile children. It will be built as a sustainable building and will be LEED Certified (Silver) status. Following the ceremony, guests were invited to join in on a post celebration at Navy Pier McDonald’s. A huge thanks goes out to Blanton Canady for hosting the party! There was fabulous food, all donated by Phil Stefani, with drinks courtesy of River North Sales & Service. To remember the groundbreaking milestone, guests could take pictures of themselves breaking ground. Right there in the middle of the restaurant was a dirt box, tons of shovels and construction hats for everyone to pose with and then take their pics home with them as a souvenir. What a great idea!! Short speeches were made thanking all those involved in the project including Women’s Board Auxiliary Chair MaryAnn Smith. I am proud to be on this inaugural board, along with Jacki Chase, Pam Cumpara, Vali Fotos, Tara Kamradt and Helen Pates, and look forward to planning lots of fun events to bring awareness to this project. For more info, please visit www.ronaldhousechicago.org. (Additional pics by Caitlin Saville…to view ALL event pics, please click here!)
 
I love seeing organizations grow and it seems like our city is seeing an explosion in non-profits making news lately. I was thrilled to be at the premiere of Common Threads’ first documentary this week, “Paint Your Plate.” This informative hour-long film seeks to educate children (and adults) on the importance of healthy eating. It exposes some of today’s unfortunate common realities: the prevalence of “food deserts,” overeating, lack of exercise and the resulting obesity among our nation’s youth. The film explains that obesity most commonly begins in childhood between the ages of 5 and 6, and less than 1 percent of all obesity is caused by physical problems. Lifestyle-related choices such as poor eating habits, overeating or lack of exercise can be controlled. This is Common Threads’ mission and I hope this program reaches every classroom, every child and every family across the nation and beyond. This documentary was created by award winning filmmaker, Charise Studesville of Lotus Girl Productions and executive produced by CT’s Linda Novick O’Keefe. Founder Chef Art Smith’s visions are far-reaching and reachable and it is imperative for the health of our children and their children’s children.  If you would like to volunteer and for more info, please visit www.commonthreads.org. To find out more about “Paint Your Plate,” visit www.paintyourplatemovie.com. To view ALL event pics, please click here.
  
Step Up Women’s Network held its annual membership celebration this week at Enclave and every year, happily, the crowd gets bigger and bigger. This year, almost 400 women came out to support this national, nonprofit membership organization dedicated to connecting and advancing women and girls. By bridging communities of professional women and underserved teen girls through mentorship, networking and advancement, they ensure women and girls have the opportunities to create a better future. On this night, they had two amazing and inspirational speakers, Cheryle Jackson (executive for AAR Corp., previously head of Chicago Urban League and former U.S. Senate hopeful) and Bianca Alexander (Emmy Award-winning TV host, journalist and founder of Conscious Planet Media). Bianca recently won her Emmy for “Soul of Green” a show which highlights the visionaries and entrepreneurs on the leading edge of the green and environmental justice movements. What a perfect duo to share their remarkable stories with all of the Step Up members and members-to-be. If you’re interested in joining and would like more info, please visit www.suwn.org. Click here for more pics!
 
Well, we all know how cute Nate Berkus is but his mom might be even cuter! Nancy Golden is a one-woman powerhouse and as chic as can be. When I met her at Chef Art Smith’s wedding to Jesus Salguiero, I barely noticed that the man on her arm was Nate! She is stunningly beautiful, petite and has a megawatt smile that can bring the house down. She was also wearing one of the coolest necklaces I’d ever seen. When I asked her where it came from, she simply said, “I made it.” I asked her to send me info and she is definitely someone you should know! Nancy Golden began her design career 33 years ago and has been featured on numerous decorating shows on HGTV and DIY. She was chosen as the decorating expert and hosted DIY’s “Decorating and Design,” “Ask DIY,” “Bare Walls” and her signature series, “Weekend Decorating.” As a special treat, she co-hosted a “Bare Walls” segment with her darling son, now the host of his own “The Nate Berkus Show.” Nancy and Nate also teamed up for a design seminar aptly named “Designer Genes.” Three years ago Nancy switched from designing interiors to designing “oneself.” The birth of her line, Goldenwear, came about through her love for anything leather, organic and deconstructed. She uses recycled leather, exotics including python and croc, natural stones and vintage chains hand-making each piece in her home studio in Las Vegas. Her pieces are reasonably priced, ranging from $45 to $495. If you like Marni and Lanvin pieces, you will LOVE the look and price of Goldenwear. Check it out at www.goldenwearonline.com and see more of her amazing designs here!
 
A FREE fashion event??!!! Yes, you heard me right! “Project Runway” alums Austin Scarlett and Santino Rice will be hosting a formal runway event showcasing amazing seasonal looks from Block 37 Shops, located at 108 N. State on Wednesday, November 17th from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. And one lucky guest will win $1,000...all you need to do is  fill out an entry in advance at Guest Services and be present to win! Hope to see you at Fashion at the Block! 
 
My sister-in-law and brother-on-law are sure lucky peeps! It’s nice to have friends in high places and they have it in spades in their friends, Diane and Charlie Gallagher, who just happen to be the owners of the recently-built yacht, Cakewalk V. This yacht, at 281 feet and nearly 3,000 gross tons, is the largest yacht built in the U.S. since the 1930’s! It features six decks, 16 cabins, a 24-member crew, a library with a fireplace, a baby grand piano and is valued at $100 million. I have my little suitcase packed and ready to go, Charlie and Diane! :) 
 
I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s Candid Candace and I hope to “see” you all next week!
 
Love,
Candace
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Comments

[Susan Tarplin]

Hi. I am trying to track down Cassandra Lawton (you have a photo of her at a Ronald McDonald House event. I believe I was her college roommate way back.
If you are in touch with her, please give her my name and email address.Thanks,
Sue

[Lynne]

Great post as usual!! I am running over to look at Nancy Golden's jewelry! Fabulous!! Love the post about RMH (ronald's new house) Thanks for sharing all the great stuff going on in our wonderful city!