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Sweetheart Ball has another successful year!
Sandy Dickson

Guests buy capsules hoping they choose some that bear a number inside for a gift

The annual Sweetheart Ball, once again held in Kildeere, IL Sat. March 6, helps hospital patients with non-medical-related expenses.

Sponsored by Assistance in Healthcare (AIH), which meets once a month at Midwestern Regional Medical Center, the group of volunteers to the non-profit organization concentrate on helping meet the needs of applicants with bills and living expenses they have had to ignore because of overwhelming medical bills, such a mortgage, home and vehicle insurances, utilities, travel expenses and lodging and other miscellaneous non-medical expenses. Applicants range for 165 to 180 each month, but the list continually grows. Ten years ago,
it averaged about 40 requests.

The organization was founded at least 20 years ago by the hospital Founder and Chairman of the Board, Richard J Stephenson, recognizing that patients are often put in dire financial straights because of their illness.

The board seeks to assist applicants with the total monetary needs they request, though, unfortunately, can’t grant 100 percent of their non-medical needs. AIH does a variety of smaller fundraisers throughout the year, including some in-hospital ones among the employees with different departments often generating their own, such as bake sales to help the cause, but the biggest fundraiser is by far, the Sweetheart Ball. One hundred percent of all funds raised through any of these efforts goes directly to benefit patients.

The Sweetheart Ball has been held in various locations over the years to accommodate a growing crowd, which has manifested to just under 400. For the past few years the ball has been held at Concord Banquets in Kildeere, Illinois.

The event, a fancy dinner-dance, includes a silent auction, a capsule table in which people buy
a chance to win a donated gift, a 50-50 raffle and this year for the first time in more recent years, a brief live auction of about six higher-end auction items.

The goal for the event was to raise $200,000, but the true profit won’t be realized until all the bills are paid for the event and the dust settles.

AIH would like to sincerely thank each merchant and individual who donated either monetarily or
in merchandise in capsule table and auction items.

The group often gets letters from grateful patients who write something like, “…Your donation made the difference in allowing me to come back for my next treatment,” or “in me being able
to feed my family and still continue to keep my utilities running.”