About 200 people gathered at UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial Family Care Center in Flossmoor on Friday, Feb. 28 for Heart & Soul, an Ingalls fundraising event.
The participants included community members, local chefs, vendors and restaurant employees, Ingalls Development Foundation members, UChicago Ingalls Hospital officials, the South Suburban band ReTurn2Soul and guest vocalist Keya Trammell.
Heart & Soul was held on the last day of Heart Health Awareness month. The Ingalls Development Foundation is earmarking the funds raised at Heart & Soul for cardiovascular health programs.
Organizers decorated the atrium where the event was held with red heart-shaped balloons, ribbons, artificial flowers and flower petals.
Community members enjoyed appetizers and desserts served by local chefs and businesses.
Dunning’s Gourmet Market & Deli served fruit and pasta. Bistro On Sterling served crab cakes and sushi. Kimski served beef noodle soup. Batter & Berries served hashbrowns with cheese and French toast. Flossmoor Station Restaurant and Brewery served two different kinds of pie. Skyline Provisions served chocolate covered strawberries. D’s Cookies and Edibles by Design shared a table, serving brownies and mini cookies.
The Embassy Cigar Lounge served cocktails. Flossmoor Station served craft beer.
“I wished I dressed a bit classier. I didn’t know it’d be this buttoned up,” Flossmoor Station brewmaster Jake Laduke said. “But it’s a very cool event. A lot of the vendors brought their A game.”
“We spent about two to three weeks trying to get it perfect and figure out what we wanted to do,” Dunning’s Market head cook Taylor Gammon said.
UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial Hospital President Michael Antoniades offers comments during the Heart & Soul fundraiser. (Nick Ulanowski/H-F Chronicle)
Larry and Sue Kluger, the owners of Kluger Furs in Flossmoor Commons, slow danced when ReTurn2Soul performed their rendition of “Just My Imagination” by The Temptations.
Flossmoor Mayor Michelle Nelson and Flossmoor Business Association President Maureen Mader sang along, clapped and danced when Return2Soul performed their rendition of “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor, a more upbeat song.
“I’m on the host committee that encouraged people to sign up and come. That was my role in this event,” Nelson said. “Anything that we can do to support and promote programs that help the community take care of themselves, that promote wellness, are events that I support.”
UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial Hospital President Michael Antoniades spoke and thanked, among others, Nelson, Heart & Soul host committee member Kristin McLaurin, UChicago Health System President Tom Jackiewicz, UChicago Health System COO Krista Curell and UChicago Medicine Chief Strategy Officer Amy Ross.
Antoniades said all 200 tickets to Heart & Soul sold out before the event, adding that the Ingalls Development Foundation could have sold more tickets but didn’t want the space to become too crowded.
“This is the first time we’ve done something like this in Flossmoor,” Antoniades said. “We think it’s gone fantastically.”
“I’m very happy to support this event,” Flossmoor Village trustee candidate Troy Holmes said, who spent the evening socializing. “What I love about Flossmoor is that we give back. There are so many people that are giving back and have great organizations.”
