Rainbow of dazzling Chicagoans at Prism

Ball reflects well on city's movers and shakers

April 15, 2008

There are a billion reasons why the Prism Ball benefitting the Erikson Institute Saturday night was a winner. For one, the placards at each table setting read like entries from the Forbes list of the 400 richest Americans: JB Pritzker, Jim Crown, Leslie Bluhm.

Or as one party guest excitedly told me: "There are 18 billionaires in Illinois, and half of them are here!" It was only a slight overstatement.

Hundreds more in the city's high-net-worth set included Valerie Jarrett, CEO of the Habitat Co., who serves as one of Sen. Barack Obama's closest advisers (her mother, Barbara Bowman, was one of the co-founders of the Erikson Institute); Merrick Ventures CEO Michael Ferro, and National City Bank CEO Joe Gregoire.

More than $1 million was raised through ticket sales and donations before the event began; it will help fund the organization's training of 200 teachers each year. In all, nearly 400 guests gave their spare change -- up to $40,000 per table -- to attend the black-tie dinner at the Field Museum.

WLS-Channel 7 anchor Kathy Brock, wearing a floor-length red gown by Narciso Rodriguez, emceed the gala. Off the set, she's sassy -- and a small crowd watched as she playfully kicked off a strappy silver shoe so that she'd be at eye level with a friend in a photo.

Pritzker, who received the Spirit of Erikson Award last year, was back to present the award to this year's honoree, Maggie Daley.

"Boy, I'm busy," Pritzker said with a laugh; he's the co-chairman of Sen. Hillary Clinton's fund-raising campaign. "But helping child development may be the most important thing that any of us can do." His wife, MK, also tasked him with guarding her $9,500 silent auction bid for a diamond and sapphire bracelet.

Three generations of the Daley family were at the gala, if you count the seven-month baby bump sported by Nora Daley Conroy. It was a rare twist to see Mayor Daley taking a back seat to his wife's recognition, and he seemed to be enjoying it.

"I have no speeches tonight," said the mayor with a broad smile. "I'm just here as a spouse."

Maggie Daley received a standing ovation for co-founding After School Matters, which offers cultural activities for the city's teenagers. She shared the spotlight with students from the Gallery 37 program for the arts, who joined her onstage to accept the award.