Your Diocese

ROMEOVILLE, IL — For the second consecutive year, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Joliet is among the recipient agencies set to pick up proceeds from First Look for Charity, a benefit gala steered by the members of the Chicago Automobile Trade Association.

“We are so very blessed,” said Lori Nagle, a spokesperson for the Joliet diocesan organization, mulling over her agency’s presence as a recipient at the annual event.

The charity celebration was scheduled to be held Feb. 8, the eve of the 2007 Chicago Auto Show, on the show floor at McCormick Place in Chicago.

Representatives of the Joliet diocesan agency were granted tickets from the CATA for the black-tie event to sell for $200 apiece, noted Nagle. As of Feb. 2, the people of Catholic Charities had sold 391 tickets. The goal is to sell a minimum of 450 tickets, which amounts to $90,000. She explained that recipient organizations keep 100 percent of the proceeds of their ticket sales. The outreach agencies also garner portions from donors who failed to designate a specific charity, added Nagle in a telephone interview with Your Diocese.

Last year, the members of the diocesan agency sold more than 400 tickets, reaping about $82,000 from the endeavor, according to Nagle. This year, the contributions are expected to offset the costs of the organization’s professional counseling services for children with emotional and behavior problems as well as group counseling programs for families.

Proceeds are also planned to advance the Joliet diocesan organization’s adoption and foster-care programs, said Nagle. Donations from First Look for Charity have also been earmarked for services geared toward assisting pregnant women in crisis situations. Caseworkers help these mothers create a medical plan for prenatal and delivery care, she said, and help them secure access to childbirth classes. They are also given money to offset medical bills. “It’s a very pro-life program,” emphasized Nagle.

A long-time supporter of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Joliet and owner of two automobile dealerships in Will County, Terry D’Arcy, the chairman of the 2007 Auto Show, invited the Joliet diocesan agency to come onboard for the 2006 First Look for Charity event. Organizations are allowed to participate for nine years before rotating out of the charity endeavor.

“We never could have done this without Terry,” said Nagle. “He and his family have been very good to the diocese.”

Nagle mentioned that D’Arcy “has been one of our greatest corporate sponsors.” She noted that the auto dealer and philanthropist purchased 50 tickets to benefit Catholic Charities of Diocese of Joliet last year and 75 tickets this year.

First Look for Charity is a “strong statement” to the community that the 650 franchised new-car dealers of the metropolitan Chicago area “want to give back to their communities,” stated D’Arcy in a statement about the charity event. The dealers make contributions to cover the expense of the venture, he added.

Last year, more than $2.5 million was raised during the evening event, according to D’Arcy. This year, proceeds are expected to be split between nearly 20 metropolitan outreach organizations, including Advocate Hope Children’s Hospital in Oak Lawn, American Lung Association of Metropolitan Chicago, Boys and Girls Clubs of Chicago and Cancer Health Alliance of Metropolitan Chicago as well as Catholic Charities organizations of the Archdiocese Diocese of Chicago and Diocese of Joliet, Children’s Memorial Hospital, Cure Autism Now Foundation, Ronald McDonald House Charities, St. Coletta’s Foundation of Illinois and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

“It couldn’t come in a better time,” said Brad Webb, volunteer co-chairperson of marketing for the event for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Joliet, talking about the funds that the agency is set to acquire from First Look for Charity. A member of St. Petronille Parish in Glen Ellyn, he emphasized that Catholic Charities is “extremely fortunate” to be receiving proceeds from the evening.

A west suburban automobile dealer, Webb mentioned that all guests of the event are expected to be entered into raffles for a 2007 GMC Acadia, 2007 Hyundai Azera and a 2007 Volkswagen GTI.

The current chairperson of the Corporate Board of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Joliet, Webb added that he is personally delighted the money raised will help more than 50,000 people of all faiths and beliefs across the expansive 4,218-square-mile Diocese of Joliet. “They are just waiting for miracles.”