CHICAGO (July 26, 2019) – More than 15 local restaurants and culinary partners will come together in support of mentorship at Shine & Dine benefiting Step Up on Thursday, August 8, 2019. During the event, the nonprofit will honor alumna Ahja Howard for inspiring women and girls to fulfill their potential.
The event will return to Revel Fulton Market (1215 West Fulton Market) and is expected to welcome 500 guests. Between 6:00-10:00 p.m., guests will sip and snack their way through tasting stations from Chicago's top eateries, while raising funds for Step Up's mentorship programs for high school girls.
"Shine & Dine unites the community for a culinary celebration while raising important funds that enable our mentorship programs to reach Chicago's teen girls," Step Up Executive Director Cordelia Tullous said.
Several Chicago eateries will offer small bites including Boka, Do-Rite Donuts, Eden, ENO Wine Bar, Honey Butter Fried Chicken, Le Colonial, Madison and Rayne, Michael Jordan's Steak House, Nacional 27, The Signature Room, Sprinkles, Troquet River North, and Wow Bao. Beverage partners include Beam Suntory and MillerCoors.
The event also receives support from platinum sponsor Ulta Beauty, along with gold sponsors Allstate Insurance Company and PwC.
Andrya Smith of PwC chairs the Step Up Chicago chapter board of directors and sits on Step Up's national board of directors with Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP Sonya Rosenberg.
Howard, a member of Step Up's Class of 2016, will share her Step Up story during the event's brief program. Howard is scheduled to graduate as part of the University of Illinois Springfield's Class of 2020.
Now in its second decade of service, Step Up was founded in 1998 by Kaye Popofsky Kramer and offers after-school and weekend mentorship programs for high school girls living or going to school in under-resourced communities in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Dallas. The Chicago chapter reached approximately 500 girls from seven high school partners across the city.
Shine & Dine tickets begin at $250 and can be purchased at www.suwn.org/sd.
ABOUT STEP UP
Step Up propels girls from under-resourced communities to fulfill their potential by empowering them to become confident, college-bound, career-focused and ready to join the next generation of professional women. Connect at suwn.org.
