"Night of Stars" Dinner Dance

• Silent Auction and Raffle Prizes
• Champagne Reception 5:30 pm
• Four Course Dinner with Wine 7:00 pm
• Complimentary Bar Service 5:30 pm - 11:00 pm
• Music

PARK RIDGE COMMUNITY STARS
- Thomas Gawne, Park Ridge Resident
- Charlotte Geier, Senior, MSHS
- Reverend Matthew Hoffmann, Pastor, St Andrews Church
- Len Johnson, Aviation & Aerospace Historian
- Dolly McCarthy, Park Ridge Living Magazine
- Krishi H. Rana, Senior, MEHS
- Cindy and John Yesko, Child Advocates

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
- Dr. John Benka

GREEN BUSINESS AWARD
- Ash & Willow Eco Salon & Beauty Apothecary 

• Advocate Lutheran General Hospital
• Dempsey Design - Martha Berns - Printing
• Kiko’s Flowers & Gifts - Flowers & Centerpieces
• Quinn Print, Inc. - Printing
• Thomas & Christina Grusecki Foundation - Awards
• Watson Art Studio – Michael Watson - Photography
• Mossell Holistic 
• FASTSIGNS of Chicago/O'Hare - Signage 

Tom Gawne 
Tom Gawne is a Park Ridge resident who shines brightly each and every day of his life. As someone who is always focused on the welfare of others, Tom has had a deep and multifaceted impact on our community. Tom’s selflessness and willingness to go above and beyond for others has enriched/ enhanced the days of the mentally disabled, the elderly, the sick, and the needy.

Every month, Tom makes multiple trips to Costco in Niles where he picks up excess food and distributes it to local soup kitchens. He also organizes annual coat drives in Park Ridge and Des Plaines and delivers them to those who need them most. As a Minister of Care at Mary Seat of Wisdom, he regularly delivers Holy Eucharist to homebound Catholics and helps plan the annual MSW teen retreat.Tom has donated his time to various charitable organizations including the Knights of Columbus and the annual Tootsie Roll drive which benefits the mentally disabled.

Tom has even turned his passion for pickleball into a means to help others. Every year he organizes a tournament with all the proceeds going to NAMI, an organization dedicated to helping the mentally disabled. He also organizes local volunteers to help him teach the game to children with cancer at a Step One Camp. This past year, he was part of an effort to gift a racket and ball to every child.

Tom is a true example of what it means to live for others and consistently demonstrates this through his actions. Our community and the countless lives he has touched will be forever grateful.

Charlotte Geier
Charlotte Geier, a senior at Maine South High School, is known by colleagues and teachers alike, as an inclusive, natural-born leader; an individual whose strive for excellence, intelligence and empathy have impacted our community in the most positive way.

Charlotte Geier is the Southwords editor in chief, Yearbook editor in chief, an officer for Hawk Pals, Special Olympics, Key Club president, Principal's Advisory Council Executive Board, Mock Trial, DECA girls tennis, and a part of the state bound constitution team. She is the co-chair for Special Olympics Youth Activation Committee for Illinois where her charge is to get more schools into special olympics and will also represent Maine South during a Hillary Clinton event this October.

Charlotte graciously spends much of her free time helping those in need through her volunteer work at Avenues to Independence, Have Dreams, and St. Paul of the Cross as a volunteer and CCD educator in addition to, spending her summer as a counselor at camp SOAR, a camp for students with special needs.

Her work ethic, intelligence, empathy, and call to service will not only improve the world around her, but also leave a legacy for years to come.

Reverend Matthew Hoffmann
Reverend Matthew Hoffmann is known by most as the pastor of St. Andrews Lutheran Church in Park Ridge and a chaplain at the Park Ridge Police Department, but to one woman in particular, he is a lifesaver. Ellen Totten was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, a rare cancer that had developed in the bile duct of her liver following the birth of her third child. Given her diagnosis, doctors told her a transplant from a living donor would be her best option. Totten wondered where, when, and if she would be able to find a donor in time.

Reverend Matthew Hoffmann was deeply affected when he heard the news and while he did not know Totten, he was the pastor of the church where her eldest daughter attended preschool. After visiting her classroom one day and seeing a social media post about Totten, he knew in his heart, he may be the match she was looking for.

Eventually, Hoffmann learned that he was a positive match and would, in fact, be the donor Totten had prayed for. The day of surgery came during one of the busiest times for a pastor – Holy Week. Guests preachers and members of the faith community stepped up to assist with Holy Week services. The communities of St. Andrews Church, South Park Church along with the Park Ridge police and fire departments showed their support through a prayer vigil and truly demonstrated what it means to be a part of a supportive community.

Today, both Hoffmann and Totten are doing well and have kept a close relationship with one another. It seems Hoffmann said it best, “You look at Christ’s example,” he said simply. “He gave himself so that we could live.” And this is exactly what Reverend Matthew Hoffmann did for another – he gave of himself, so that someone else can live.

Len Johnson
As an Aviation and Aerospace Historian, Len Johnson felt a duty to bring home a piece of Park Ridge that, to many, had been long forgotten.

In the 1940’s, Maine East High School sold war bonds for the Douglas Aircraft Company. Incredibly, Maine East sold $550,000 of war bonds, earning the honor of having a Douglas C54 troop carrier and cargo plane named in their honor at a rally in 1943. The entire Maine East community came together as Douglas christened the plane “Faster and Higher - That’s Maine Flyer.”

Through his research, Johnson was able to locate the Maine Flyer at an abandoned airfield on the Arizona Pima Indian Reservation. With the approval of Pima leaders, he traveled on his own dime to the reservation and worked through several days in the Arizona sun, recovering key pieces of the long-dilapidated aircraft. 

After several days of hard work, Johnson drove what he had recovered back to Illinois and donated it to the Park Ridge Historical Society. It is because of his selflessness that we, as a community, were able to reclaim a piece of Park Ridge and aviation history.

Dolly McCarthy 
As Editor and Publisher of two social living magazines – Park Ridge Living and Be Local NW Chicagoland– Dolly McCarthy works tirelessly to make our city a thriving, vibrant community. She provides resources to fun, family-oriented events throughout the year including Girl’s Night Out, Comedy Night and an Annual Veterans Day breakfast as well as Fashion Show fundraisers benefiting local causes such as WINGS, Life Span and FAME in addition to sponsoring local festivals and fundraisers.

Since becoming publisher of Park Ridge Living, Dolly has united over 100 sponsors and raised over $50,000 for local charities. Through her work, the magazine continues to highlight the accomplishments of our community and has brought numerous opportunities to both the businesses and citizens of Park Ridge.

Dolly is also the creator, producer, and host of The Dolly McCarthy Show, where she routinely interviews Park Ridge and Chicagoland non-profits to showcase their work thus supporting the growth of our city.

Krishi Rana 
Krishi Rana, a senior at Maine East High School, is an active member of the Gifted Lyceum Program, President of National Honor Society, and Secretary of Maine East Cares. He is an Executive Officer and founding member for the Maine East Novus Club, a club dedicated to Entrepreneurship and Technology which has grown to over 60 members in three years as a direct result from Krishi's contributions. 
Adding to his already impressive list of accomplishments, Krishi competed in the start-up business plan pitch competition at 1871, a famous Chicago incubator, where he won the event taking home a check for $1000!

Krishi is also a member of the Varsity Scholastic Bowl, Math Teams, and Boys Varsity Volleyball Team. He volunteers mentoring younger students and regularly dedicates time to the Maine Township Food Pantry. His academic success has landed him at the top of the class and his passion for helping others through volunteer opportunities has been utmost rewarding for Krishi. His teachers describe him as a thoughtful, humble, intelligent young man who provides a stellar example of what a true leader looks like - someone who fosters unity and teamwork while accomplishing the end goal.

Cindy and John Yesko 
Over the last 3 years, John and Cindy Yesko have selflessly answered the call and have worked tirelessly to advocate for two sisters in our community who lost their single mom to cancer. The Yeskos regularly coordinated a network of community members to help cover the girls’ basic needs - creating what has become known informally as the “Fairy Godparents Club.” The Yeskos worked with this group to help the sisters secure housing in the community, provide medical and dental care, legal assistance, and food. The younger sister is now flourishing in high school; the older one works full-time and college. This year, Cindy's efforts led to the sisters being chosen as recipients of the Park Ridge Newcomers' "Labor of Love" benefit. This event will provide additional funding, in the form of a trust to support the girls going forward.

Dr. John Benka, Lifetime Achievement Recipient 
Since 1973, John Benka has called Park Ridge home. In the years since, John has had an illustrious 22-year career serving as the Assistant Superintendent for Maine Township High School District 207 and in the years following his retirement, John has truly demonstrated what it means to be a servant leader.

John began his life of service by serving our country as a Lieutenant in the United States Army Chemical Corp. Years later, he went on to serve our community as a Park Ridge alderman from 2000 to 2004, and spent nearly a decade as a library board trustee including two terms as treasurer, two terms as vice-president and on every committee during his tenure. Benka has volunteered for more than two decades at Franklin School as a tutor for children with learning disabilities and has coached both Park Ridge football and basketball. John was a founding board member of the Maine Township District 207 Health Center, served on the Park Ridge Human Needs Task Force, and later was inspired to serve on the board for Rainbow Hospice following the passing of his late father.

He holds a master's degree in Educational Administration from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee and a Ph. D. in Educational Administration from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. The recipient of numerous professional awards and honors, John has been recognized with the Distinguished Alumni Citation by the Ripon College Alumni Association. The culmination of his experiences and history of service proves the altruistic man Dr. John Benka truly has become.

2019 Green Business Recipient, Ash & Willow Eco Salon & Beauty Apothecary / Holly Santelli

Holly Santelli, owner of Ash & Willow Eco Salon and Beauty Apothecary, not only tries to make her salon sustainable, but has also made it a core value – considering both environmental and social impacts with every decision she makes. Eco-friendly practices are what sets her salon apart. Ash & Willow is certified sustainable Green Circle Salon - a program that helps them recycle up to 95% of the salon waste including hair, color tubes, foil, aerosol cans, and virtually anything used in the salon. In 2018, Ash & Willow recycled 615 lbs of solid waste and 65 lbs of liquid waste in addition to actively using the regular city recycling program which is not included in the numbers. The salon incorporated reclaimed wood and brick into their décor, restored the old original ceiling from 1920, uses high efficiency water heaters, air conditioning, and LED lighting which all contribute to their sustainability. Eco Heads are used on shampoo bowls which help clean and conserve water and glass beverage cups are used for serving coffee made in a reusable glass coffee pot. Additionally, the hair care brands used are passionate about sustainability and use green practices.