A luncheon to benefit Connections for the Homeless
The Woman's Club of Evanston (1702 Chicago Ave, Evanston, IL)
Thursday, March 20th from 12 PM to 1:30 PM
***SOLD OUT****
Tickets are no longer available.
At Connections for the Homeless, we serve and catalyze our community to end homelessness, one person at a time.
Inspire will mark its eighth year in 2025! Join us on Thursday, March 20th at The Woman’s Club of Evanston (1702 Chicago Ave) for an afternoon in support of Connections for the Homeless. While serving as a fundraiser for the organization, the event also promotes learning and advocacy around the topics of homelessness, affordable housing, and poverty.
As a contribution to the community dialogue about zoning, this year's Inspire luncheon will feature a keynote address by affordable housing expert Angela D. Brooks about how communities can work together to meet the housing needs of all residents.
Event Schedule
11:30 AM - Registration Opens
12:00-1:30 PM - Program Begins & Lunch Served
1:45-2:30 PM - Panel Discussion (optional)
Keynote Speaker: Angela D. Brooks
Angela Brooks is the Chief Housing and Urban Development Officer for the City of Philadelphia and the Immediate Past President of the American Planning Association. She has served on the Chicago Board of Zoning Appeals, the Illinois Affordable Housing Advisory Commission, and is co-chair of the Housing Supply Accelerator, a national organization helping communities to meet the housing needs of residents. Brooks is a native of Seattle and a graduate of Jackson State University, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies, and the University of New Orleans, where she received a Master of Urban and Regional Planning. She has dedicated her career to ensuring every human has a safe, decent, affordable place to call home. Angela is also a kidney donor and passionate advocate working to increase minority organ donors.
Suzanne B. Calder Community Stakeholder
Panel Discussion
Angela D. Brooks
Angela Brooks is the Chief Housing and Urban Development Officer for the City of Philadelphia and the Immediate Past President of the American Planning Association. She has served on the Chicago Board of Zoning Appeals, the Illinois Affordable Housing Advisory Commission, and is co-chair of the Housing Supply Accelerator, a national organization helping communities to meet the housing needs of residents. Brooks is a native of Seattle and a graduate of Jackson State University, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies, and the University of New Orleans, where she received a Master of Urban and Regional Planning. She has dedicated her career to ensuring every human has a safe, decent, affordable place to call home. Angela is also a kidney donor and passionate advocate working to increase minority organ donors.
Brenda O'Connell
Brenda O’Connell is a Senior Policy Advisor at the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) working closely with the Illinois Office to Prevent and End Homelessness on statewide strategies to house every Illinois resident. O’Connell has 25 years of experience working in nonprofits and the government, where she has focused on homelessness, affordable housing, and other anti-poverty work. O’Connell served on the Illinois Community Advisory Council on Homelessness and has consulted with communities across the country on their housing goals.
Sue Loellbach
Panel Moderator: Donna Pugh
Donna Pugh is a partner with the law firm of Foley & Lardner in Chicago. Her practice focuses on obtaining land use and zoning entitlements for retail, office, residential, health care, and corporate clients. Donna also has extensive experience obtaining zoning approvals for homeless service providers, domestic violence prevention agencies, and other social service entities. As a consensus builder, Donna works to unite property owners, elected officials, and community groups to achieve approvals that maximize flexibility of future land use and benefit all involved stakeholders.
Our Sponsors
Presenting
Harris Family Foundation
Gold
Kent & Liz Dauten 
Silver
Jill & David Greer Pamela & Rod Levy Jennifer & Danny O’Shaughnessy
VIP
Margaret & Peter Morris
Candance & Dan Chow 
Suzanne & Bobby Calder
Nancy & Nicholas Giampietro
Rebecca & Craig Lewandowski Brian Hanson & Karen Alter-Hanson Eric Haab & Kim Yee
Sponsorship Opportunities
View our sponsorship opportunities here.
At Connections for the Homeless, we strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals to engage fully. All sponsorship levels include luncheon ticket(s) for a community member. If you have questions about an accomodation or complimentary community member tickets, please contact Emily Elbring, Associate Director of Development - Special Events at [email protected]
