Taking a chance with Lady Luck, some of the 160 people at last weekend’s “Damme Chance,” held at the Midlane Country Club in Wadsworth, tried their hand at cards, craps and roulette.
But the Weinsteins of Buffalo Grove had a little something else in mind.
“We’re taking a chance,” said Bob Weinstein, standing next to his very pregnant wife, Sheri. The couple are expecting their first child, and from the look of things, the baby was due any minute.
“Am I prepared tonight? Not exactly. I didn’t bring anything with-her overnight bag, nothing. And I’m in a tuxedo,” Bob said.
Not to worry. The baby, 6-pound-14-ounce Tori Michelle, waited until 8:46 Thursday morning to arrive.
But for the Weinsteins and others who paid $80 each to feast on internationally eclectic fare-from rack of lamb to fajitas-listen to the a cappella group The Sound, and gamble amid the glitz, the bottom line for all this hoopla was altruism.
“What do we hope to do tonight? Make money,” said Marilyn Slutzky of Highland Park, president of the North Shore Section of the National Council of Jewish Women, sponsor of the fundraiser.
Money raised will fund local community services such as Tri-Con, a child day care center for the needy, and Tele-Help, a non-sectarian information and referral service with accessibility for the hearing impaired.
“The National Council of Jewish Women is a group of women doing non-sectarian work,” Slutzky said.
Chairwomen of the fundraiser, Marlene Konik and Rita Herskovits, both of Highland Park, estimated that $20,000 will be garnered from ticket sales, a pre-party mail-in raffle, another raffle, a live auction, and, of course, from house winnings from the tables.
“They can buy chips and win up to $200. There is no limit on what they can lose. And if they win, we’re hoping some money still comes back,” Konik said.
