Windy City Times
July 20, 2011
From Windy City Times:
It was sensory overload—as in feasts for the mouth, ears and eyes—as HIV/AIDS agency Vital Bridges Center on Chronic Care hosted its seventh annual Chefs and the City fundraising event July 15 at The Ritz-Carlton Chicago.
Guests enjoyed delicious bites prepared by 30 of Chicago’s most sought-after chefs, including Ryan Pitts, Stephanie Izard, Dale Levitski and Ryan Poli. There was also be a summer fashion show presented by Maria Pinto, creative director at Mark Shale.
There was also a raffle, with tickets going for $100 each ( or three for $250 ) . Prizes included a trip for two to Los Cabos, Mexico with airfare; tickets to the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, Colo.; and gift certificates to 15 restaurants featured at Chefs and the City 2011.
In previous years, the event had been held at venues such as The Peninsula. Asked why the site was moved, Vital Bridges CEO Debbie Hinde told Windy City Times, “The event outgrew The Peninsula; it was getting to the point where people couldn’t move very easily. So we wanted an area that was a little bigger so people could feel comfortable. The Ritz is a wonderful, wonderful facility and they have been so great to work with. We’re lucky.”
Also, Vital Bridges merged with Heartland Alliance July 1. Vital Bridges kept its Edgewater office, but the agency became a division of Heartland Alliance Health and was renamed Vital Bridges Center on Chronic Care. Hinde said that the merger—which she emphasized was accomplished from a strategic instead of a financial standpoint—”is going well. Any change is difficult, right? But I think everyone is working really hard to make those changes almost invisible to the clients. I think it’s going well.”
Heartland Alliance Health Executive Director Karen Batia added, “Things are going swimmingly well. We are learning a great deal from one another. It’s a great opportunity to merge two organizations that are doing wonderful work on behalf of the community.”
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