Event at Hilton to benefit Willowbrook Wildlife Center
Sun Staff February 26, 2013 5:46PM
Alicia Seghi, a wildlife keeper at the Willowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn feeds a robin in a flight cage on Friday, July 20, 2012. The robin, along with 160 other animals, were brought to the center following the big storms over the past month. | Brian Powers~Sun-Times Media
Updated: March 28, 2013 6:48AM
Naperville residents can support Willowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn, the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County’s wildlife-rehabilitation and education center, during the “Night Owl Ball” gala from 6 p.m. to midnight March 16 at the Hilton Lisle/Naperville, 3003 Corporate West Drive in Lisle.
Honorary event chairmen Forest Preserve District President D. “Dewey” Pierotti Jr. and Commissioner Tim Whelan will lead an evening of food, music and fun, organizers said.
Guests will be greeted by some of the center’s resident birds of prey, offering up-close encounters with the very wildlife the center supports. Guests will enjoy an open-bar cocktail hour, a three-course meal, music and dancing. And, they’ll be invited to bid on special items in silent and live auctions, including a behind-the-scenes tour at Willowbrook, a special visit to The Field Museum in Chicago, tickets to Chicago Blackhawks and Chicago Bulls games, original oil paintings and other artwork, travel packages, golf outings and more.
Proceeds will support capital improvements and upgrades to enclosures at Willowbrook, one of the nation’s oldest wildlife-rehabilitation facilities. Each year the center’s staff and volunteers care for more than 8,000 injured animals. Some permanently disabled animals become residents, a diverse mix including familiar backyard sights such as songbirds and raccoons to more elusive species like red foxes and sandhill cranes, that help visitors learn about native wildlife, center officials said.
Open daily, Willowbrook Wildlife Center offers unique programs and experiences to thousands of people each year.
Tickets for the event are $60 each. Groups can purchase a complete table for eight guests for a discounted price of $450. Purchase tickets online at dupageforestgiving.org/NightOwlBall, or through Willowbrook Wildlife Center in person at 525 S. Park Blvd., or by phone at 630-942-6200. A limited number of tickets will be available at the door.
The Hilton is offering a discount to guests who book rooms at the hotel. Use code CFPD when registering at hiltonlislenaperville.com, or call 800-552-2599.
