In 2017, Kim Duchossois made a Challenge Gift of $50,000 to expand support for Barrington’s White House Cultural and Community Programing and Operations. Over the summer and fall twenty-five people responded and gave a total of $25,000. In planning their year-end giving, Wayne and Nan Kocourek heard about the Challenge and decided to fully fund Kim’s Challenge, by making a year-end gift of $25,000!
If you have been inspired by growing cultural and community programming at Barrington’s White House over the past two years, we hope you will consider joining Kim, the Kocoureks and our other generous donors by making donations of any size for your Year End Gift! Your support of Barrington’s White House has never been more important to our community as we head into 2018. Your year-end donation will allow us to continue to expand the variety of events that we can offer, spanning the world of humanities, history, classical music, speakers, and local art.
“We are pleased to be able to support this wonderful cultural and community center
and we hope others will be inspired to give as well.” Nan Kocourek
The cultural events are providing inspiration and joy to our area, creating a richer and more vibrant community. In turn, attendance at these events drives success to Barrington merchants and restaurants. Studies indicate that people who attend events typically spend an additional $25-$50 in the community at that time.
2017 Paved the Way for Important Growth at Barrington’s White House:
- Over 9,500 people attended events, a 33% increase from the previous year.
- We also saw our private rentals grow by 71%.
- We added our new Third Thursday Art Night Out Series, a popular Plein Air Event, and a Historic Docent Program.
- We started the Barrington’s White House Sustainer Program to further enhance our offerings.
- Our cultural events were often sold out.
- Our army of volunteers has already given more than 1,000 hours of time.
Several new partnerships have blossomed this year, including with The Art Institute of Chicago and the Elgin Symphony Orchestra. The breathtaking White House ballroom offered a beautiful venue for our high school students to perform, and our senior citizens enjoyed events offered in a venture with The Barrington Area Council on Aging. Forty-three nonprofits enjoyed our space for their events and fundraisers, and even more nonprofits were present for grant workshops and leadership training offered by the Barrington Area Community Foundation and the Barrington Area Development Council.
Highlights of the fall season were the sold out shows of Ron Keaton as Churchill, Ron Hawking’s Home for the Holidays, an incredible performance by classical violinist William Hagen, and Marta and Ani Aznavoorian – world class musicians and prodigies – as they performed for the first time in their home town of Barrington.
Announcing Our Spring Season:
We are equally excited about our upcoming Spring Season beginning with a fabulous one-day Town-Warming Event in February featuring notable national and local speakers. Also featured are Musician Pat McKillen, the University of Chicago Professors Martha Nussbaum and Saul Levmore, Baritone William Powers, the Honorable John Curry, and Barrington native and internationally renowned designer Cynthia Rowley.
Your support will provide an even greater breadth of an expanded variety of programs in the Barrington community. Please help us grow! Donations may be made online here or mailed to Barrington’s White House, 145 West Main Street, Barrington, Illinois 60010. All donations are tax-deductible.
Thank You and Happy New Year!
This photograph was taken during the Barrington’s White House 1st Plein Air Event where well-known local artists painted Barrington’s historic and iconic buildings. The artist is Steve Putrich and he is painting his rendition of Barrington’s White House. The Plein Air Event was a free community event and will now become an annual Barrington event.
