Past Events
2023 Picklepalooza
What an amazing time we all had at Pickled! Wheaton on Nov. 2 for our first annual Picklepalooza! fundraiser! It was an evening of quick pickleball games for non-serious pickleballers, newbies and experts alike. Attendees enjoyed light bites, wine and beer and a lot of laughs with new and old friends!
We raised more than $10,000!
Congratulations to first place tournament winners Jackie and Brian Abbott (pictured above), second place winners Autumn Codinha and Carey Sue Ellens, and third place winners Kelley Kalinich and Joan Moffitt. Thank you so much to all of our sponsors, attendees, volunteers and the Picklepalooza committee for all of your hard work on this incredibly fun event! Thank you also to Pickled! in Wheaton for being such wonderful hosts!
Thank you so much to all of the generous Picklepalooza! sponsors!
- Foundation Wealth Strategies
- Marvelous Minds
- Quest Food Management
- Dan Palumbo First American Mortgage
- Wetmore Construction
- LivCo
- Exploring Flooring
- Griffin Harvey Group - Compass Realty
- Mulcare Insurance - Allstate
- Holladay Properties
2023 Literary Event: A Tremendous Success!
Oh what a night! Our sold out Literary Event featuring acclaimed author Mary Laura Philpott was a great success, raising $27,000 for our after-school and summer programs! More than 160 attendees listened to Mary Laura’s remarks on her award-winning memoir ‘Bomb Shelter,’ which was released in paperback format in early April. We are so grateful to Mary Laura for traveling to Glen Ellyn to share her insightful wit and wisdom with us!
We would like to thank The Bookstore of Glen Ellyn for their partnership in making this event possible. If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading ‘Bomb Shelter’ yet, you can purchase a copy from The Bookstore. Special thanks to the Glen Ellyn Public Library for their support, as well.
Thank you so much to all of our generous sponsors, including Event Level sponsors Marcel’s Culinary Experience and Kiwanis of Glen Ellyn.
Kiwanis Club of Glen Ellyn
Ball Foundation
Glen Ellyn Bank & Trust
Tricia Black, Compass Real Estate
Marvelous Minds
Amy Storm & Co
The Bookstore of Glen Ellyn
Carrie & Renee Group, Compass Real Estate
Northwestern Medicine
Mindful Movements
TKS Design Group (The Kitchen Studio)
Sue Kowalski
Casey's Gas Station
Alicia Parker, Coldwell Banker Properties
Sarah Coe Designs
BP Gas Station
Dairy Queen
Blackberry Market
Theresa Hiser
Anne Gould
Papier Girl
Sign of the Whale Antiques
Laubinger & Associates, LLC
Ellyn and Main
A La Main
Andrew's Garden
Brookfield Zoo
Costello Jewelry
Crossfit Carol Stream
Drake Hotel
DuPage Children's Museum
Forest Preserve/Cook County Golf Club
Erik Peterson
Fire & Wine
Fuschia
Gather & Collect
Glen Ellyn Police Department
Ursula Bryant
Good Roots
Goodman Theatre
Hairborn Salon
Health Track Sports Wellness
Hi, Love
Ko-Ze Wine
Jayne Learning Express
M& Em's
Maize and Mash
Marci Myers
Matrix
McAnnich Arts Center
Paramount Theatre
Park and Oak
Rise
Evelyn Rodriguez
The Sweet Shoppe
String Theory
Two Hound Red
Village Links
Catherine Voight
Wildfire
Angela Fanella
Gayle Rueter
GECRC Golf Outing
Golf Committee: Christian Ambler, Casey Mulcare, Dawn Cassata, Jackie Rickert and Jackie Reeves
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Allstate Insurance, Mulcare Insurance Agency
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Glen Ellyn Bank & Trust
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Quest Food Management Services
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Foundation Wealth Strategies
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Harry Cotter, Allstate Insurance
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Jeff Diedzic, Allstate Insurance
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Jason Herbers, Allstate Insurance
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John Paciorek, Allstate Insurance
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David Rosenberg Agency, Allstate Insurance
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The Home Companies
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Griffin Harvey Group, Compass Realty
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Exploring Flooring
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AAA Insurance, Nick DelGuidice
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First American Mortgage, Dan Palumbo
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Jimmy John’s
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Identity Graphics
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Two Hound Red Brewing Company
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Mark & Lori Gapinski
Rock Around the Block
So much gratitude to all of the members of our incredible community who came out to support GECRC Rock Around the Block parties over two weekends in late August and early September (one was rescheduled due to illness.) So much fun was had listening to talented local musicians, catching up with neighbors and learning more about GECRC. Generous donations topped $5000 and counting - we are so humbled and grateful! Extra special thanks to our block party hosts: the Winters, the Lobdells, Anna Dunham, the Petersellis and Megan Lowrie, as well as our musicians: Exmoor Avenue: Justin Ullman with special guests Matt Gasaway and Courtnay Roberts, with a special shout-out to Barry Dupuy for all of his support; Cottage Avenue: Gabi Winter with special guests Will Carlson, Vivienne Winter (party here turned into an open mic night with musicians from Wheaton Yamaha Music School, Calvin Coleman, Alan Taylor and neighbors!); Turner Avenue: Gabi Winter, and Main Street: Back Pocket Bourbon and Side Project. Also thank you to taco truck Mario's Cart (Exmoor Block) for donating 10 percent of proceeds back to GECRC, and to the Glen Ellyn Volunteer Fire Company for stopping by the Montclair party. Our community is truly incredible!
GECRC Family Fun Day
GECRC’s amazing community of students, families, volunteers, board members and staff all enjoyed the GECRC Family Fun Day on Saturday, June 11 in celebration of GECRC’s 20th anniversary. About 100 individuals were in attendance to enjoy face-painting, snow cones, games, a raffle and more at Churchill Elementary. An enormous thank you to the countless individuals and organizations that made this day possible. A special thank you to the Glen Ellyn Lions Club for donating the pizza lunch for the event!
“I was excited to celebrate GECRC's growth alongside our students and their families, the most important members of our organization's structure,” said GECRC volunteer coordinator Maryam Ghouse. “There were smiles everywhere, parents and children alike got to have fun, and by my standards, that made it a successful event!”