St. Luke Parish School in River Forest held its 20th annual Dinner Dance and Auction on Feb. 28 at the Oak Park Country Club. The event is the largest school fundraiser each year, and raised over $135,000 from the over 300 attendees and donors. The evening also served to honor Margaret and John O’Neill for their long-standing commitment to the St. Luke parish and community.
“John O’Neill and Margaret Barrett met as second-graders in St. Luke School. They graduated together from St. Luke’s, were married here, and educated all eight of their children here. Today their grandchildren are among our current students and recent alumni,” stated Rev. Kenneth Fischer, St. Luke Parish pastor. “Their dedication and generosity and hard work for St. Luke’s have been a tremendous asset to us and to the entire Oak Park and River Forest community throughout the years. They are most deserving of this honor.”
St. Luke School Principal Barbara Rasinski said, “The O’Neills represent something that is very special about the St. Luke community. Their dedication to the school typifies the type of support the alumni, parents and church community routinely give to St. Luke School. We are only able to maintain its high standards of academic excellence and strong Catholic identity through the efforts of the entire community. We are fortunate to be surrounded by so many people who have such strong feelings toward St. Luke and are willing to invest so much of themselves in our students.”
The Dinner Dance, which invited guests to “step back in time to The Roaring 20s,” was co-chaired by Sherry and Paul McAllister, and Karen and Jeff Stelmach. “The main goal of the evening is to raise funds to keep St. Luke affordable and competitive, but it’s equally satisfying to see how much fun everyone has,” said Dinner Dance Co-Chair Karen Stelmach. “We’re celebrating our friendships, our community, and our children’s future.”
’20s somethings: Dinner Dance chairpersons Jeff and Karen Stelmach (below left), and Sherry and Paul McAllister. At right, the event’s roaring ’20s theme was evident with the bevy of boas and beads that adorned attendees.
