Bridging troubled family waters takes both money and commitment.
Yet it was evident at last weekend`s 1992 Winter Rose Ball, held in the grand ballroom of the Schaumburg Marriott, that neither money nor commitment was in short supply. There was an outpouring of community support for The Bridge, a northwest suburban youth and family service organization, which raised more than $26,000 at its fourth annual dinner-dance fundraiser.
This fete oozed with panache as some of the 163 partygoers congregated around the hors d`oeuvres table, which served as the base of a water fountain shooting blue and pink streams skyward. Still others hovered over the silent auction tables hoping to win a balloon ride for two, maybe a week in Cancun, Mexico, even four tickets on the 40-yard line for a Bears game.
Some, like Norm and Sue Abazoris of Inverness, however, had the urge to want it all. ”If we get everything we signed for, we`ll have to take out a loan,” said Norm, ”(but) it`s a good cause.”
Since its inception in 1965, The Bridge has helped countless troubled children in Palatine Township between the ages of 6 and 17 and served as an emotional respite for troubled youth who cannot go home, according to associate director Bonnie Kautz Prasse.
”My goal is to let every mother, father and child in Palatine Township know we`re here if they`re in trouble,” Prasse said.
The Bridge also provides youth and family crisis intervention for a six-township radius, coordinating services with 22 police departments in northwest Cook County.
”The problems The Bridge addresses transcend economic strata. They`re human problems,” said Palatine Mayor Rita Mullins. ”The Bridge has a lot of community support and gives a lot of support to the community.”
