On April 27th over 140 supporters braved the snow for a special evening of celebration at the Halim Time & Glass Museum. The event, aptly named
Welcome Home to Evanston
,
was in honor of HOW’s first affordable housing development located in Evanston.
Mayor Steve Hagerty opened the night by reiterating the city’s whole-hearted commitment to the creation of more affordable housing, and 2nd Ward Alderman Peter Braithwaite also shared his support by extending a warm welcome to his future constituents. Both the Illinois Housing and Development Authority, and the Woman’s Club of Evanston received awards in acknowledgement of their unyielding commitment and support of HOW and its mission.
HOW's impact was brought to life by current client Maxica who shared the emotional journey of losing her home and job while battling cancer before finally securing an apartment and support services for herself and her children through HOW. Three years later, the family is thriving and Maxica, who is now cancer-free, will graduate from college later this year.
Howard Conant, Chairman of Urban Innovations, the company responsible for building the development and the event's presenting sponsor, spoke eloquently about why HOW's work is so important. Board Vice President Denis Pierce then closed out the night on a high note encouraging the audience to make donations to secure a $50,000 match.
Welcome Home to Evanston
was a massive success raising over $150,000.00 in total.
