Family-friendly Charity Event to Raise Money for Low-income Students

Submitted by Hoku Scholars.

On April 25, Seven Bridges Ice Arena in Woodridge will host more than 1,000 guests for a day of family-friendly fun to benefit Hoku Scholars, a local charity that provides scholarships to low-income students across the nation.

The fundraiser will take place from 2 p.m. to 12 a.m. April 25.

Last year’s Occasion for Education fundraiser raised more than $35,000 to help students in vulnerable communities pay for college. This year’s event, sponsored by Pullman Bank & Trust in Chicago, looks to raise more than $50,000 to benefit students at Percy L. Julian High School in Chicago’s Washington Heights neighborhood.

Occasion for education, which is planned and run by more than 100 volunteers, brings together Chicagoland residents, families and professionals to enjoy live music, food, drinks and a wide range of family-friendly events.

Activities include the Illinois High School Alumni Hockey Tournament featuring 16 teams and 200 players, public ice skating, curling lessons, broomball, bean bag tournaments, children’s games, face painting, a photo booth, balloon artists and more.

The live performance will be headlined by locally revered band Big Wig Mechanic. There will be both a live and silent auction, as well as a full offering of bar and restaurant options.

Since Hoku Scholars was founded in 2012, it has provided more than $42,000 – all raised by grassroots volunteers – in scholarship awards to 70 students, with 92 percent of students becoming college-ready.

Seven Bridges Ice Arena is located at 6690 S. Route 53, Woodridge. Free parking is available in the Seven Bridges parking lot. A $15 round-trip shuttle bus from Chicago will leave from Gaslight Bar & Grille, 2450 N. Clark St., at 4 p.m. and return by midnight.

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