GECRC Events
Glen Ellyn Children’s Resource Center (GECRC) events offer a great opportunity to benefit GECRC while connecting with your friends, family, neighbors, or customers.
Whether you're a seasoned Mahjong player or brand new to the game, Mahjong for GECRC 2026 promises a joyful evening of connection, laughter, and community impact. Missy Mahjong will return alongside experienced coaches to guide intermediate players through lively, hands-on play, while two dedicated beginner tables offer welcoming instruction for those eager to learn.
Your ticket includes a welcome drink, light bites, and one raffle ticket, with additional drinks and raffle tickets available throughout the event. Tickets are $100 per person. Mahjong winners will also receive bonus raffle tickets as part of the fun! Play will take place in relaxed 40-minute rounds, with guests rotating tables and meeting new friends along the way.
Most importantly, every ticket purchased helps open the door to an unforgettable summer for more than 200 local elementary and middle school students participating in GECRC's full-day Summer Program. This exciting program offers children academic enrichment, project-based learning opportunities, local field trips, caring mentorship, and the opportunity to build meaningful friendships - all at no cost to qualifying families. Your support helps ensure every child has the opportunity to learn, grow, dream big, and thrive this summer.
Past Events
2026 Literary Event: A Tremendous Success!
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Thank you to all who joined us for this year’s GECRC Literary Event. What a beautiful evening filled with friendship, generosity and community.
Even with a few unexpected plot twists along the way, the evening reflected what makes this community so special: neighbors showing up for each other with warmth, grace, and unwavering support for children and families.
A special thank you to community member Willie DiFabio and Shannon Burgess from The Bookstore of Glen Ellyn for their inspiring conversation connecting Willie’s Appalachian Trail experiences to the themes of 'Heartwood.' We’re also grateful to the Bookstore's bookseller team for sharing this summer’s must-read titles, and to Clingen, Callow & McLean for sponsoring the sold-out Book Pull and gift certificate prizes.
The creativity and generosity of our local book clubs who curated raffle baskets for the event was truly incredible. Congratulations to "Novels and Neighbors" for being named this year’s winning book club!
We also send heartfelt gratitude and warm wishes to Amity Gaige for her special video message and the spirit she brought to the evening.
One of the most meaningful moments of the night was sharing stories of GECRC students and families. To revisit the Mission Moment video or share it with friends and family, please visit: https://www.gecrc.com/events/
Because of this caring community, local children will continue receiving academic support, mentorship, enrichment opportunities, and encouragement to pursue their dreams.
We’re also deeply grateful to Dan Anderson and the Pfister Family for offering a generous Match Challenge in support of GECRC students. If you would still like to participate, please visit this page to have your gift go twice as far: https://www.gecrc.com/events/
To our Literary Event Committee, sponsors, volunteers, Arrowhead Golf Club, photographer Sarah Merryweather (who took these incredible photos!), and every guest who joined us - thank you for believing in the power of education, opportunity, and community connection for every GECRC student.
Previous Literary Event Featured Authors and Books
2025 - Catherine Newman, 'Sandwich'
2024 - Mary Beth Keane, ‘The Half Moon’
2023 - Mary Laura Philpott, ‘Bomb Shelter’
2022 - Abra Berens, ‘grist’ and ‘ruffage’ cookbooks
2021 - Claire Lombardo, ‘The Most Fun We Ever Had’
2020 - canceled due to pandemic
2019 - Rebecca Makkai, ‘The Great Believers’
2018 - Christina Henriquez
2017 - Ronald H. Balson
2016 - Luis Urrea
2015 - Melanie Benjamin
2025 Mahjong Fundraiser
Our first ever Mahjong fundraising event at the Glen Oak Paddle Hut June 18 checked all of the boxes!
Learned something new and challenging(!) Connected with friends & made new ones Supported a great cause! (GECRC)A tremendous thank you to Missy Mahjong* for donating her time and expertise to teaching two SOLD-OUT sessions of beginner Mahjong lessons to our friends and supporters! It's safe to say that an incredible time was had by all! A special thank you to board member Jen Dietzler for introducing us to her awesome sister-in-law Missy and getting the ball rolling on this super fun and successful fundraiser! Thank you to Griffin Harvey Group - Compass Real Estate and GECRC leadership for sponsoring the wine raffle, and thank you to the wonderful staff at the Glen Oak Paddle Hut for their excellent hospitality and service! We had such a long waitlist for this event that perhaps we could do it again sometime?? Make sure to follow GECRC on instagram and social media for potential future Mahjong opportunities!
*Check out https://www.missymahjong.com/
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Rock Around the Block
We are incredibly grateful to all of the members of our tremendous community who came out to support GECRC at the four Rock the Block parties on Saturday, Sept.7! Attendees enjoyed listening to talented local musicians, catching up with neighbors and learning more about GECRC. Generous donations have topped $4000 and counting - thank you to everyone who donated! Extra special thanks to our block party hosts: the Winters, the Lobdells, the Stortzs, the Buttimers, and a new block party in the Mary Knoll neighborhood this year, hosted by former GECRC board member Judy Cheney and long standing Lincoln tutor Kim Tolliver. Thank you also to the incredible musicians: Exmoor Avenue: Justin "Bronco" Ullman, Barry Dupuy and GECRC tutor Courtnay Roberts; Cottage Avenue: Gabi Winter, Ryan and Carrie O'Halloran, Jenny Mauzer and Drew Tedford; Sunset Avenue: Lincoln Elementary teacher Amy Bishop and her band Altered Suburbia; Mary Knoll: The Arts Department - former GECRC board member Lucy Dallman and Ben Franklin music teacher Billy Van Duzor.Our community is talented, generous and amazing!
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Picklepalooza
What an amazing time we all had in August at Pickled Wheaton for our second annual sold-out Picklepalooza 2 fundraiser! Congratulations to our Intermediate/Advanced bracket winners Team "Wolfie," Sue Kamphuis and Barb Iverson, and to our Beginning/Intermediate bracket winners Team "Shorty," Kristen Short and Lisa Leuer!! Thank you so much to all of our sponsors, players, attendees, volunteers and the Picklepalooza committee for all of your hard work on this incredibly fun event that raised $8000 in sponsorships for GECRC and had 50 pickleballers and fans attend!
Thank you also to Pickled! in Wheaton for being such wonderful hosts!
Sponsors and In-Kind Donations for Picklepalooza:
- Foundation Wealth Strategies
- Glen Ellyn Bank & Trust
- Mulcare Insurance Company
- Centerpoint Properties
- Davey Tree Experts
- Laubinger & Associates, LLC
- Umlauf Design
- Rakuten
- Berkshire Hathaway - Daniel Maurer
- Compass Real Estate - Griffin Harvey Group
- Culligan Water
- Custom Direct Integrated Marketing Solutions
- Identity Graphics
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