Thank you for celebrating a decade of making a difference with the RIC Associate Board! With your help we met our goal of raising more than $100,000 for RIC's Pediatric Charity Care program.

About the Bearcat Ball
The Associate Board hosts the annual Bearcat Ball to benefit the Rehabilitation Institute's Pediatric Charity Care Program, which offers prosthetic devices and specialized treatment to children with disabilities whose families cannot afford this care.

The Bearcat Ball is named for the Stutz Bearcat, a luxury automobile manufactured in the 1920s purported to have carried the heroes and heroines of author F. Scott Fitzgerald's day to yacht clubs and dinner dances and secluded roadhouses. The ultimate statement of class, style and luxury, the Bearcat is as much a symbol of 1920s youth as hip flasks
and raccoon coats.


10th Anniversary Bearcat Ball
On Saturday, November 15, a sell-out crowd of more than 500 people gathered at The Merchandise Mart to celebrate the 10th Annual Bearcat Ball and help raise funds for RIC Pediatric Charity Care. The black-tie evening included a live performance by the nationally acclaimed Neil Diamond cover band, Super Diamond, casino gaming, food from the city's top restaurants and a silent auction.

Fund a Need:
If you are unable to attend the Bearcat Ball or would like to donate further, please consider a "Fund a Need" donation. Your gift will significantly impact the lives of RIC's pediatric patients.

To make a donation and view the full list of giving categories, you can download the
Fund a Need form and return by fax or mail.

Sponsorships:
Thanks to all those individuals and organizations that are generously taking part in the 10th Anniversary Ball. For more information on supporting the 2009 event, please contact Bridget Vrba at 312-238-1252 or bvrba@ric.org.

Restaurants:
We are grateful to the outstanding restaurants and beverage partners from around the city providing tastings this year. For more information on participating in the 2009 Ball, please contact Bridget Vrba at 312-238-1252 or bvrba@ric.org.

2008 Host Committee
Thank you to the following past Associate Board Presidents, Bearcat Ball Co-Chairs and Tree of Life Recipients, who have shaped the event during the last ten years and who took part in the 10th Annual Ball.

Mrs. Suzette Bross Bulley - Chair

Mrs. Merrick Axel
Ms. Susan Barclay
Dr. Henry B. Betts
Mrs. Sophie P. Bross
The Honorable Edward M. Burke
Mr. Samuel P. Chapman
Mrs. Laura Davis
Mr. & Mrs. Daniel D. Dolan, Jr.
Ms. Brooke Ellison
Mr. Mark Geall
Ms. Nora Gilhooly
Mr. David Hoese
Mr. Kevin Hull
Mr. & Mrs. Michael L. Keiser
Ms. Jennifer Lane Landolt
Ms. Trisha Meili
Ms. Cynthia Moran Monnig
Ms. Jenny Notz
Ms. Julia Pesek
Ms. Rachel Barton Pine
Mrs. Christine S. Pratt
Ms. Judy Panko Reis
Mrs. Colwell Mullin Ryan
Mr. Verne Scazzero
Mr. Todd Schwebel
Mr. & Mrs. John E. Scully III
Ms. Nancy Shields
Ms. Kristin Smith
Mrs. Heather Townsend
Mr. Constantine Zografopoulos

Tree of Life Award
Each year the Tree of Life Award is presented at the Bearcat Ball by the Associate Board to an individual or individuals, who have shown through their actions and example, great character and spirit.

The 2008 Tree of Life recipient was Greta Neimanas, member of the 2008 U.S. Paralympic Cycling team.

Greta, born with her left arm missing below the elbow, found her passion in sports and motivated others as a camp counselor for Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago s Caring for Kids Program. She inspired her mother to establish Families of Amputees in Motion (FAIM) to support families of children born with limb differences. Through strength, determination and a true competitive spirit Greta, now 20 years old, was able to achieve her goal of competing in the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games.

She was honored during the Bearcat Ball's Benefactor Reception and presented with an award created by Suzette Bross.

The award is based on the tapestry by Marc Chagall that hangs in the entryway of RIC and bears the inscription: "For there is hope of a tree/ If it be cut down that it will sprout again/And that the tender branch therefore will not cease."

CLICK HERE FOR A LIST OF 2008 SPONSORS AND RESTAURANTS

CLICK HERE FOR 2008 BEARCAT BALL PHOTOS