826CHI's second annual People Eating & Giving gala event, raised more than $100,000! With the help of Jeff Tweedy, Luis Urrea, Molly Ringwald, Sarah Jindra, but most importantly the many generous and astoundingly intelligent and attractive people who bought tickets and donated during the evening's paddle raise, the event was once again a resounding success. We would be remiss in not also thanking a few other amazing people who spoke at this year's event including 826CHI board president Dan Kuruna, parent and teacher Maria Rivera, tutor JP Kaderbek, and students Ehmely and Roque.
Keep scrolling down to check out links to photos and videos from this year's event.
 826 National CEO Gerald Richards shows us how to tango |
 A guest answers the question, "If you could own something really insane, what would it be?" |
 826CHI volunteer Kara Thorstenson tells us what kitchen appliance she would be |
JEFF TWEEDY
Jeff Tweedy is the founding member and leader of the ground-breaking American rock band Wilco. Since starting Wilco in 1994 Tweedy has written original songs for seven Wilco albums, sold millions of records worldwide and earned rave reviews from critics and fans alike. He is also the producer of Mavis Staples' 2010 Grammy-award winning album "You Are Not Alone."
LUIS URREA
Luis Alberto Urrea, 2005 Pulitzer Prize finalist for nonfiction and member of the Latino Literature Hall of Fame, is a prolific and acclaimed writer who uses his dual-culture life experiences to explore greater themes of love, loss and triumph. He is the author of such books as The Devil's Highway, Into the Beautiful North, and The Hummingbird's Daughter. Urrea lives with his family in Naperville, IL, where he is a professor of creative writing at the University of Illinois-Chicago.
MOLLY RINGWALD
Molly Ringwald began her film career at the age of thirteen with her Golden Globe-nominated performance in The Tempest. Her extensive film credits include The Pick-Up Artist, For Keeps, Fresh Horses, Betsy's Wedding, Some People Call It a Sling Blade, Jean-Luc Godard's King Lear, and the now iconic coming-of-age movies Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, and The Breakfast Club. Ringwald has starred in the Broadway production of Cabaret, the Tony-nominated production of Enchanted April, and can currently be seen starring in the breakout hit The Secret Life of the American Teenager on ABC Family. The author of the bestseller Getting the Pretty Back: Friendship, Family and Finding the Perfect Lipstick, Ringwald's writing has appeared in Esquire, The New York Times, Parade, Interview, and The Hartford Courant. When It Happens to You is her fiction debut. Molly Ringwald lives in Los Angeles with her family.
LAST YEAR
