Congratulations and Thank You!

Congratulations and thanks to Patrick Nyarko!  This past weekend he won the Supporter's Player of the Year from Section 8, a  volunteer non-profit for the Chicago Fire.  With this honor came a check for $1500 to the charity of his choice.  As you can see in the picture above, he chose A Better Life for Kids for this honor.  We so appreciate Patrick's support so far, and are looking forward to more things to come!  Stay tuned!

$1058.94- That's a lot of spaghetti!

A big thanks goes out to all of the district 73.5 community for their support on Friday night at the A.C.T. Spaghetti Dinner and Raffle for A Better Life for Kids.  The event raised $1058.94!  Thank you to all parents, board members, teachers, and students who attended this great night.  We would also like to thank Organic Life for their donation of food, along with Patrick Nyarko of the Chicago Fire, Michael Ciok of Grand Appliance, Rachael Lamka of Thirty-One, Jen Guzaldo of Tupperware, Maryanna Gibbs, an independent yoga consultant, and Desserts by Maggie for their generous raffle prize donations.  Congratulations to all the families who won prizes!  We appreciate your continued support of our efforts!

See the next post for pictures from this great event!

Spaghetti Dinner and a Show!

The first annual Spaghetti Dinner and a Show was a rousing success!  About 150 people came to the event from all three schools, along with many past and present A.C.T. members.  Even the NNHS Dance Marathon Committee came to show their support.  Everyone enjoyed two types of spaghetti, garlic bread, and salad donated by Organic Life.  Check out of the many pictures taken of the evening, and thanks to all the people who donated their time, items, and money to make this evening a wonderful one.  We will be posting the amount of money donated on Monday!

Selling A.C.T. items!

Getting ready for the raffle!  Thanks to all that donated items!

Ticket sales!

Waiting for food is the toughest part!

It was a family affair!

Former A.C.T. members came back for the night!  It was great to see them!

Ms. Nizynski and Ms. Ciok

Happy eating!

Mmmmm.... pasta!

More high schoolers back for the night!

Thanks to all the families that came out to support the cause!

Mr. Lee and Ms. Ross... love the hairnet Mr. Lee!

The pasta was good!

The sweater was perfect for the night!

The Ciok family arrives!

Ms. Ciok's kids get a ride to the cafeteria!

The reason we're all here tonight!

Discussing how many tickets?

Love the goofiness!

Thanks to the board members who came out to support the cause!

Thanks to the teachers who support our cause!

Happy eating!

Getting ready for the show?

Middleton, Meyer and McCracken families out for the night!

Thanks to Ms. Sidman and Ms. Eysenbach for running the show in the cafeteria!

More familes, more fun!

Ms. Ciok's daughter lost her tooth!

Joining hands for a cause!

Our photographer has her photo taken!

Niles North Dance Marathon students joined us too!

Future A.C.T. members?

Thanks Organic Life for the donation of food!

Ms. Fischer and Trisha, a former A.C.T. member

An A.C.T. member enjoys dinner with his family.

More fun!

Love all the happy faces!

More dance marathon high schoolers!  Thanks for supporting our cause!

Students watch the video to learn more about A Better Life for Kids.

Who won the big raffle prizes??
Thanks to Grand Appliance, Rachael Lamka of 31, Jen Guzaldo of Tupperware, Patrick Nyarko of the Chicago Fire, Yoga Instructor-Maryanna Gibbs, Desserts by Maggie, and Shelley Nizynski for donating items for the raffle! 

Lunch with Chicago Fire's, Patrick Nyarko

On November 12th, Ms. Nizynski and Ms. Ciok had lunch with Patrick Nyarko to discuss the work being accomplished by A.C.T. and A Better Life for Kids, along with how he and other players could help extend our efforts.  It was a great session, with many connections made.  Keep a lookout for what Patrick is doing to help make sure all kids have the rights they deserve!

Another donation arrives!

Thirty-One Bags!

Look at these cute thirty-one bags that will be raffled off on November 16th!  There is a utility organizer, thermal tote, and a wristlet!  Such a great donation thanks to Rachael Lamka!

Spaghetti Dinner and More Donations!

Look for the flyer for the upcoming spaghetti dinner!  It went home with students today!

Also, the tupperware donation arrived today.  Thanks again to Jen Guzaldo for her generous donation!  Retail value is over $60!