The FCSLA Chicago Junior Branches and District kicked off their holiday season by co-sponsoring their ninth annual Junior Member Christmas Party on Sunday, November 10, 2019. The celebration this year was held at St. John’s Church Community Center in Mokena, Illinois, with a total of 70 members in attendance (Junior and Senior members and their guests).
The Junior members had a magical time and participated in decorating their own Santa hat, playing Hooligan (a dice game) for prizes, kids’ raffle and Super Raffle, Split the Pot Cash Raffle and Split the Pot Bingo.
After a scrumptious lunch buffet, Svätý Mikuláš (St. Nicholas), Bishop in 4th Century Myra, Turkey arrived and had the children and an adult or two, help reenact the stories of his life.
To end the celebration, the children had the chance to win from over 70 raffle and super raffle prizes. Congratulations to our super prize winners: Katie Strache (J322) – full body massager with heat; Eli Thayer (J96) – Foosball and telescope; Jessilyn Gibas (S421) – drone and EchoShow; Karen Strache (S421) – FitBit; and Tammy Bajek (J339) – Blaupunkt wireless headphones.
This year the Junior members continued the tradition of sponsoring a community organization by playing Split the Pot Cash and Split the Pot Bingo which benefited the Mokena Food Pantry and St. Vincent DePaul Outreach Ministry of Frankfort, Illinois. The generous donations of our Junior and Senior members and their guests truly demonstrated that they have the spirit of St. Nicholas!
This celebration was a huge success, with many people volunteering their time and talents before and during the party. A special thank you to Dr. Joyce Nugent-Hirschbeck, Jr. Christmas Party Committee Chair, and her team: Jeanette Palanca, Doreen Poetzinger, Cameron Palanca, and Peg Plank. A huge thank you to the following branches for donating cash or prizes for the raffles: Senior Branches 287 and 46, and Senior Branch 485 for contacting St. Nicholas. Thank you to the following individuals who donated cash or prizes for the raffles and activities: Dr. Joyce Nugent-Hirschbeck, Jeanette Palanca, Doreen Poetzinger, Violet Nugent, and Lorraine Gibas. This event would not be successful without the combined efforts of all of our wonderful branches and members.
Everyone in attendance had a wonderful time! Thank you to all who attended this celebration and made it such a very special day!
To view photos from this event, visit the Photo Gallery on the Chicago District Web site.
