Two annual fundraisers taking place this month to benefit Youth Services, a mental health organization for local young people, will have a different feel this year due to COVID-19.
Runners and walkers in the 24th annual Tall Trees Turkey Trot will complete the 5K independently this year, and the Girlfriends’ Boutique will become a week-long shopping event, starting Friday, with an aim to bolster funds for multiple causes at once. Organizers say the altered plans will create more individualized experiences for participants.
The Girlfriends’ Boutique event will allow anyone who is registered to take advantage of discounts provided by more than 50 participating local and online businesses — and may help suburban residents get an early start on holiday shopping.
“While we may not be able to hold the annual Girlfriends’ Brunch in person, we are excited to bring to you a new, exciting way to not only support Youth Services, but also support community businesses by shopping local,” a message on the event website reads.
Normally, the fundraising group Friends of Youth Services hosts a “Girlfriends’ Brunch and Boutique” event each year. Part of the event features a select number of business vendors on site for attendees to shop. The vendors would pay a vendor fee to participate and then donate a percentage of their earnings back to Youth Services, according to Michelle Brody, community outreach coordinator for Youth Services.
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This year, due to COVID-19, the event is adapted a bit and is called “Girlfriends’ Boutique: A New Vision.” Shoppers and vendors each pay a $75 fee to participate. All participating vendors will offer some sort of discount for an entire week from Nov. 6 to Nov. 12, and registered shoppers can participate in whatever way they choose.
This year, vendors will not have to pay back any earnings, but all $75 registration fees from vendors and shoppers will go to Youth Services.
In the past, the brunch event brought in around $50,000 by itself, Brody said. The group doesn’t think they’ll make as much money this year, especially without portions of vendor sales coming back to them, but they wanted to help out business owners struggling through the pandemic while also raising their own funds.
“We’re not only supporting Youth Services but we’re supporting local businesses by getting people to shop their products for a week,” Brody said.
Friends of Youth Services also recently hosted a virtual 5K and a parking lot concert, so Brody said they hope the funds raised through all three events together will make up for the one in-person brunch they couldn’t host this year.
The individualized week-long nature of the event also opens it up to more people this year, both geographically and demographically, according to Brody.
In the past, vendors were mainly targeted for the women attending the brunch event and were limited to a dozen or so in one place. This year, a wider audience can participate because more businesses across the region — and even one in Wisconsin — can take part.
More than 50 vendors are signed up with various discounts and offers, Brody said. Many stores are participating, selling merchandise from clothing and jewelry to pottery and books. Several restaurants, fitness centers and service-based businesses like professional tutoring and organizing will also be participating.
Participants can continue to register for the event any time before it ends on Nov. 12, Brody said. More information, as well as a full list of vendors and details about their discounts, can be found on the Youth Services website at ysgn.org.
Like many other running events this year, the 24th annual Tall Trees Turkey Trot 5K to benefit Youth Services will be held virtually — “not together, not in Tall Trees, but together in spirit,” according to the event registration website.
Runners and walkers can choose their own location to participate. A list of trails in the area will be posted on the event website prior to Thanksgiving. Registration is $25.
Registration closes Sunday in order to get a Turkey Trot t-shirt. Shirts can be picked up at Blended, 950 Harlem Avenue in Glenview, on Nov. 24 and 25 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Nov. 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
No awards will be given this year, but times and photos can be uploaded online.
Youth Services is a nonprofit mental health agency for youth in Glenview and Northbrook, as well as surrounding suburbs and into the city.
It offers various resources and programs to people between the ages of 4-24, including individual and group counseling, after-school groups, tutoring, an LGBTQ+ program and crisis intervention, according to its website.
The funds from this week-long fundraiser event will go toward those resources and toward helping people pay for the services. According to Brody, the agency won’t turn anybody away because of an inability to pay, so fundraising is important for them to provide scholarships and help kids and families who need financial aid.
“With all that’s going on in the world, kids need services more than ever, and we just want to make sure everyone has access to them,” she said.
Twitter: @kaitlinedquist
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