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NOE_2017

The 8th Annual No Ordinary Evening will be held on April 27, 2019 at the Palmer House in downtown Chicago. Please stay tuned for more details. If you would like an invitation, please send an email to jessicadouglas@horizons-for-youth.org.

Thank you to all who attended and supported the 007th Annual No Ordinary Evening on April 28, 2018, honoring the legacy of Declan Drumm Sullivan. Your generosity helped raise over $700,000 for the Declan Drumm Sullivan Memorial Fund and Declan’s Class students.

Declan’s Class is a group of Horizons for Youth students, now 90 strong, whose tuition and programming are supported exclusively from funds raised at No Ordinary Evening. The number of students in Declan’s Class grows every year, a testament to the commitment of the Drumm-Sullivan family and the entire Horizons for Youth community to the education and future of our students.
 
One highlight of the evening was the introduction of Declan’s 90 (see photo below) to the enthusiastically cheering, appreciative crowd. Another was a video (click here or on image below to view) that told the story of one Horizons for Youth family, the Clarks, and how their two sons have blossomed with the support of Horizons for Youth, even in the midst of their mother’s unexpected illness.
 
 
 
ABC 7’s Rob Elgas, a former Horizons for Youth mentor, did a wonderful job as this year’s host, making everyone feel welcome and at home, and the band Maggie Speaks kept the dance floor packed and moving.
 
A very special thank you goes out to the Drumm Sullivan family, who, for seven years now, have made supporting Chicago students their highest priority. We cannot thank them enough. We would also like to thank all of our sponsors, who are listed below.
 
If you are interested in adding to Declan’s legacy by sponsoring a Declan’s Class student or making a donation, please visit our website, where you can learn more about how you can make a difference in the life of a Horizons for Youth student.
 

Event Origins

No Ordinary Evening was founded to remember and celebrate the life of Declan Drumm Sullivan, who was tragically killed in an accident at the University of Notre Dame on October 27, 2010. His family created the Declan Drumm Sullivan Memorial Fund to memorialize Declan’s life. The Declan Drumm Sullivan Memorial Fund supports organizations that demonstrate substantial local impact in the areas of education and community service.

Benefiting Horizons for Youth

The primary beneficiary of the event is Horizons for Youth, Chicago’s only kindergarten through college nonprofit organization committed to helping children from low-resource neighborhoods recognize and achieve their full potential. Over 27 years, Horizons for Youth has partnered with Chicago’s public, charter, private, and faith-based schools, along with dedicated families, to provide tuition scholarships, one-on-one mentoring, individualized tutoring, a summer academic program, family support programs, monthly enrichment opportunities, high school and college preparation, and college persistence support.

Horizons for Youth currently serves 265 students. To date, 84% of Horizons for Youth high school program graduates have either graduated from college or are still on track to graduate. They are persisting at a rate nearly ten times greater than their socioeconomic peers, demonstrating the effectiveness and life-changing impact of Horizons for Youth programming.