Illinois Chapter Chat - Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

BREATH OF LIFE 2007
PRESENTING SPONSOR
J. E. Manzi and Associates
GOLD SPONSOR
Waste Management
SPONSOR
Northern Trust
SILENT AUCTION DONORS
Akira; Amber Carey Gitter; Balani
Clothiers; Chicago Bulls; Chicago Cosmetic
Surgery & Dermatology; Christian.
Karen, and Brett Farr; Core Chiropractic
Health Center; daVinci Group Limited;
Double Stitch; Evil Kitty; Flirty Fitness
Girl; Four Seasons, Palm Beach; Gibsons
Steakhouse; Halo Chicago; Hawthorne
Race Track; Hilldale Golf Club; Hyatt
Regency; Jacky’s Bistro; K. Amato;
Kohler Linda Field’s Salon; Mary Kay;
Millennium Park, Inc.; Oak Lawn Park
District; Park Grille; Park Hyatt Chicago;
Poplar Creek Country Club; Potbelly;
PRP Wine International; Reuven Gitter
Jewelers; Sheque Chicago; The Talbott
Hotel; The Chicago Theatre; Trails
Entertainment Centers; Vail Beaver
Creek Sales Group; Venture Sports; Villa
Olivia Country Club & Ski Area; Windy
City Fieldhouse
HONOREES
Tim Conway
John Mrowiec
Maggie Sheehan
BID FOR A CURE SPEAKER
Maggie Sheehan
LIVE AUCTIONEER
Steven L. Good, AARE
PLANNING COMMITTEE
Amber Carey Gitter, Co-chair; Summer
Jackson Cole, Co-Chair; Margaret
Anderson; Tracy Biesterfeldt; Heidi
Dausman; Chris Horton; Julie Isen; Anne
Lang; Joe Manzi; Michelle Martin; Jodie
Matthews; Tatiana Rea; Vonita Reescer;
Karen Ryan; Ed Sheehan; Kerry Sheehan
SPECIAL THANKS TO
Herzog Contracting Corporation;
Aldridge Electric; Follies Productions;
Christopher Mark Fine Flowers and
Gifts; Dilly Lilly; Fleur; The Wishing Well
Florist; Whoopsie Daisies; Glassworks
Jazz Trio; Donald & Tom Anderson; The
Cork; Paul & Debbie Motenko; Jerry &
Cheri Hennessey; Rick Kaplan The
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Volunteers
Illinois Chapter Chat
V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 3
A gala affair
O C T O B E R – N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 7
The Breath of Life Gala has been a key fundraiser for the
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation nationally for more than 20 years,
but the Greater Illinois chapter made history with its October
inaugural gala at Chicago’s Ritz Carlton.
Starting the evening with a cocktail reception, guests min-
gled, munched on canapés, and bid on the silent auction
items, which included Bulls and theater tickets, jewelry—and
pole-dancing lessons. The Glassworks Jazz Trio provided a
serene soundtrack. Around 8 p.m. the guests moved into the ballroom, where Gala co-chair Amber
Carey Gitter gave what Tim Conway, one of the evening’s honorees, called a “touching speech.” Recalling
the moment she met a young boy from Albania with CF, Gitter recounted the story of how she
became involved with the CFF and her role as Gala co-chair, only one part of which was finding the
night’s emcees, Karen Jordan of ABC TV Channel 7 News, and Christian Farr of Chicago Tonight (PBS
Channel 11).
Following a dinner of arugula salad, pecan-crusted chicken breast, and fingerling potatoes, Tim Conway
and John Mrowiec, of Conway & Mrowiec Attorneys at Law; and Maggie Sheehan accepted Breath
of Life Awards for their commitment to the CFF and their acts of giving. Along with being active participants
in Great Strides—they are “just phenomenal contributors to the Great Strides team,” Joe
Manzi said, “and are doing that in a generous and gratuitous way—Conway and Mrowiec matched the
first $50,000 raised through the evening’s Bid for a Cure auction. Nineteen-year-old Sheehan, with her
Great Strides team, “Maggie’s Miracle Makers,” has raised more than $1,000,000 for the CFF.
The evening’s “best fundraising activity,” Conway later noted, was the live auction, led by real-estate
auctioneer Steven Good, AARE. With CFF volunteers scattered throughout the audience to report,
“Steve, I’ve got the bid,” Good called out the bids for items like a trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; two
tickets to February’s New York Fashion Week; and a behind-the-scenes tour of CBS studios to view a
taping of the Evening News with Katie Couric.
The money raised from the Gala totaled $230,000 for the CFF, surpassing the $180,000 goal.
—Ruthie Kott
Spotlight on: Amber Carey Gitter
Joe Manzi, presenting sponsor, and his family
Amber Carey Gitter’s connection to cystic fibrosis started with a plane ride. Less than a year ago, on a flight
back to America from Bulgaria, she met a six-year-old boy using an oxygen tank. “Alex was being sponsored
for treatment in the U.S.,” she said; only 40 percent of his lungs were working to capacity. His mother
had watched three of her children die from CF.
Since this encounter, Gitter became involved with the CFF. When the Greater Illinois CFF contacted her to
chair the Breath of Life black-tie fundraiser gala, she was eager to help. Along with selling tickets and raising
funds for the gala, part of her job as chair was to raise awareness.
The daughter of two philanthropists, Gitter is no stranger to black tie. Her long list of charitable contacts
in the Chicago area gave her a solid foundation on which to build the Gala’s guest list. She used her local
pull to bring Summer Jackson of Chicago’s CLTV in as Gala co-chair. “I tapped into all my resources,” Gitter
noted. She arranged for flowers and 12 cases of wine to be donated for the event, and booked the “No. 1
real-estate auctioneer,” Steven Good, for the live auction, as well as two celebrity emcees, Karen Jordan and
Christian Farr.
The Gala’s planning, however, was not without a few bumps in the road. Because of the national chapter’s
standardized Gala format, there was little room for Amber to add some spice. “High net-worth individuals
tend to think outside the box,” she said, offering a suggestion for future Breath of Life Galas: in
order to attract people who don’t know someone with CF, “that’s where creativity has to come in.”
Still, with more than $200,000 raised from the inaugural Gala, Gitter is hopeful. “I hope the money raised
from the Gala goes to finding a cure,” Gitter said. “I hope this is the start of something better.”—Ruthie Kott
Edited by Ruthie Kott, CFF Volunteer: rekott@yahoo.com.

PAGE 2
CHAPTER STAFF
Executive Director
Carolyn Cronin
Associate Executive Director
Jeremy Agler
Director of Development
Amy Patterson
Senior Director of Special Events
Alison Folsom
Office Manager
David Crowel
Director of Special Events
Sylvia Margolies
Elizabeth Burke
Paula Danoff
Karen Crumback
Special Events Manager
Kim Mills
Coordinator of Special Events
Kristen Colon
Board of Directors
Chris Walsh
(President)
Jana Balis
Ed Bauer
Jack & Mary Begley
David Bethel
Jon Bottorff
Linda Buggy
John & Nikki Conway
Kathy Cooney
Vince D’Agostino
Dean Dussias
Tim Fallon
Stuart Feldman
Dorothy Gillian
Jeff Golman
Richard Gray
Chris Horton
RV & Sarah Ives
Greg Johnson
Dave Karwowski
Mike Kolassa
Hal Lusk
Casey Magner
Richard Marcus
Jack Mayer
Joe Manzi
Susanna McColley
Suzanne McDonald
Ronda Michels
A Message from Executive Director,
Carolyn Cronin
ILLINOIS CHAPTER CHAT
Thank you for you continued support to the Greater Illinois Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis
Foundation. With the financial support of corporations, board members, and volunteers, we
are projected to raise close to $4 million (net) through our events, major gifts, and foundations,
reflecting a 18% increase over 2006.
As you know, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation continues to strengthen its commitment to drug
discovery and development for cystic fibrosis (CF). Specifically, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Therapeutics, Inc. (CFFT) continues to forge critical alliances (Therapeutics Development
Awards) with several companies to ensure a robust CF drug-development pipeline. CFFT is the
nonprofit drug discovery and development affiliate of the CF Foundation.
We have so many success stories within the 38 budgeted events (including the Peoria branch)
and various volunteer events that are held throughout the year. The Chapter added the Breath
of Life event (see front page) that raised a net revenue of $225,000. We hosted the largest
walk site in the nation, and the CF Chicago office has raised close to $355,000 in new revenue
through the "2007 Volunteer Leadership Initiative.”
The "Volunteer Leadership Initiative" is the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's most significant nonmedical
recruitment endeavor ever undertaken. To fulfill its lifesaving mission to find a cure
and
control for CF, the CF Foundation must sustain significant growth in its fund-raising efforts to
meet the fiscal demands of its innovative medical/scientific programs. The recruitment of new
volunteers is the critical factor in reaching new funding sources. We must build relationships
among diverse groups of people who then can make commitments fired by passion!
The mission of the "Volunteer Leadership Initiative" is to identify, recruit and nurture new volunteer
leaders who will assist the CF Foundation in reaching its revenue goals to support its
innovative medical/scientific programs. Our VLI Chairman, Tim Fallon, will continue to help our
staff and board members identify volunteers through our "2008 Volunteer Leadership Initiative"
Looking ahead to 2008 and beyond, the CF Foundation continues to build and enhance its ability
to raise the funds so vital to its success.
Sincerely,
Carolyn Cronin
Executive Director
Michael Mullarkey
Bart Murphy
Thomas O’Malley
Mark Peterson
Phil Reitz
Steve Schwieger
John Sheahan
Christine Stevens
Kathy Taylor
Michael Thompson
Loralee Van Vleet
Robert Walsh
Robert Wiesen
Linda Zager
Gala honoree John Mrowiec and family
(above) pose for the camera, while
honoree Tim Conway and Ellen Babbit
(right) look chic in black tie.

On-Going
Events
PAGE 3
CureFinders
Teach kids a valuable lesson in
fundraising with the CFF’s Cure-
Finders program. Students in
grades K–12 can learn about
cystic fibrosis and the importance
of helping others while
raising valuable funds to help
support the vital research and
care programs of the CF Foundation.
Classrooms compete for
prizes, including pizza parties
and “no homework” passes; a
fundraising kit offers ideas for
games and activities—from
dance marathons to “Jar Wars,”
where students contribute
money to their classroom’s coin
jar—that are fun for kids and are
effective fundraising tools.
If you are interested in
bringing CureFinders to your
child’s school, please contact
Kristen Colon at
ckcolon@cff.org or (312) 236-
4491.
ILLINOIS CHAPTER CHAT
November 2007
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December 2007
Edison Park Turkey Trot
Turkey Day is upon us! On November 22 trot out to the
Edison Park Fieldhouse to welcome the holiday season with the 11th annual
family 5K Fun Run/Walk. Registration fees are $15 for the 5k run/walk and
$10 for the Gobble Gallop (for kids 12 and under). Proceeds go to the CFF.
After the race, relax at the Emerald Isle (6686 N. Northwest Hwy.) for a postrace
celebration, with plenty of time to kick back with some warm cider and
good company. See www.epturkeytrot.com to register for the event.
3 - 65 Roses Gala: A Triple
Crown Affair
Arlington Racetrack, Arlington
11 - Uncork the Cure II
Lovells of Lake Forest; Lake
22 - Edison Park Turkey Trot
Edison Park Fieldhouse, Chi-
1 - All I Want For Christmas is
a…
Medinah Banquets, Addison
31 - New Year’s Eve
Union Park, Chicago
Contact illinois@cff.org or check out grillinois.cff.org
for more information on any of our events.

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Greater Illinois Chapter
150 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 400
Chicago, IL 60601
(312) 236-4491
Toll-Free: (800) 824-5064
E-mail: illinois@cff.org
...adding tomorrows every day.
The mission of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation,
a nonprofit donor-supported organization, is to
assure the development of the means to cure
and control cystic fibrosis and to improve the
quality of life for those with the disease. The
Foundation is the leading organization in the
United States devoted to cystic fibrosis.
Check out our Web site:
http://www.cff.org/Chapters/grillinois/
Just for a Moment: Maggie Sheehan’s Bid for a Cure Speech
… Sometimes I find that CF is a blessing. You might think I am crazy. But if it were not for CF I would not
have met some of the greatest people in my life. I have had the pleasure of meeting other people with CF,
and they have been such an inspiration and positive influence on me. I have met great nurses, doctors, and
med students. Some of these people I have become so close with I
find myself having friendships with them outside of the hospital. And
some of the doctors I just like flirting with! If I did not have CF I
would not be educating people about this disease. Because of CF I do
not take things for granted. I don’t take for granted the times my
neighbors, or as I like to call them my sisters, Megan and Kelly, read
our trashy magazines. I don’t take for granted the many hours I have
spent at their house sitting in the kiddy pool we bought this summer.
Yes, folks we are all grown adults, and we were wading in a kiddy
pool. I don’t take for granted the times my friends come and sit with
me in the hospital and watch America’s Next Top Model; seriously what
would I do if I did not have such a sophisticated and intelligent show
Maggie Sheehan (right) and her family at the Breath of Life Gala
to watch with my friends? My life might be difficult at times, but the happy moments make up for all the bad
times and struggles. My life sometimes reminds me of the line in the song “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls:
“When everything feels like the movies, yeah you bleed just to know you’re alive.” Sometimes when I am at
my happiest or things are going good for a week, CF hits me the hardest right in the back of my knees and
makes me fall to the ground. But those are the times I know I have to be my strongest because I know it will
get better. ...