Emcee and Chicago’s WGN HouseSmarts Radio and TV host Lou Manfredini greeted The Night Ministry’s sold-out “Lighting Up The Night” gala by first reminding them of their host organization’s mission.
Manfredini said, “Earlier today, the Health Outreach Bus was stationed at Pilsen’s Plaza Tenochtitlan, just a short distance from here” to help residents access “essential resources and services such as food, medical care and assistance with their housing needs” as they have done for many years in various locations in the city.
Founded in 1976, The Night Ministry’s mission is to “provide human connection, housing support and healthcare to members of our community who are unhoused or experiencing poverty.”
The May 23 gala, held at Lacuna Lofts, 2150 S. Canalport Ave., honored the late Rev. Barbara Bolsen, who served as the Night Ministry’s strategic partnerships and community engagement vice president for many years, with its Legacy of Light Award; former Night Ministry Board of Directors Chair and Board Member Alicia Pond with its Beacon Award; and the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) with its Lamplighter Award.
The Night Ministry Clinical Supervisor Stephan Koruba presented Pond and CTA President Dorval Carter Jr. with their awards while The Night Ministry Strategic Partnerships Director Tedd Peso presented Bolsen’s brother Bill Bolsen with her posthumous award.
Koruba said that CTA would receive the Lamplighter Award for their collaborative efforts with The Night Ministry and the City of Chicago to “bring human connection, housing support and health care to unhoused individuals sheltering on the Red and Blue Line trains” via their CTA Outreach Program. He added that this program has “distributed more than 50,000 meals to unhoused individuals and prevented more than a thousand trips to the emergency room.”
“Transit is essential and a civil right,” said Carter in his acceptance remarks. “We move people with dignity and respect regardless of housing or income status.” He spoke about how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the CTA, and how the pandemic was the catalyst for the creation of the CTA Outreach Program. Carter said The Night Ministry has been a critical ally to provide resources “for those sheltering in our system” and expressed his gratitude for the work the organization does across the city.
Then Koruba spoke about how Pond’s leadership efforts on behalf of The Night Ministry has resulted in her Beacon Award, and made note of her “compassionate spirit, which serves as a beacon of hope for a brighter future for all Chicagoans.”
“I firmly believe in the power of the Chicago community,” said Pond in her acceptance remarks. “From our neighborhoods to the entire city, we are stronger when we care for one another, nurture the spaces we share and collaborate to solve our common challenges.”
Peso said the Legacy of Light award “honors the memory of our dear colleague, Rev. Barbara Bolsen,” and spoke about her history with the organization from 1997-2020. At one point, she was one of The Night Ministry’s earliest Youth Outreach workers, often dressing in her clergy collar as she did her work to help unhoused young people (many of whom were LGBTQ+). She also worked to end hate crimes in Lake View, among other endeavors.
“Barb once told us that she arrived at The Night Ministry to do work that would engage her heart, as well as her head,” said Peso. “Her kindness, compassion and service have brightened the lives of those whom we serve.”
Bolsen spoke movingly about his sister while accepting her award. He said family—whether her family of origin, her church family or, later on, The Night Ministry family—was very important to her.
In a tearful speech, former Night Ministry client Denishe spoke about the ways in which the organization helped her get back on her feet in recent years. She said that the lack of resources at her school “set her up for failure” and it was only when she found The Night Ministry, and someone there asked her how she was doing, that she felt like things would get better. They eventually did; Denise has her own apartment to call home.
The Night Ministry Outreach and Health Ministry Director David Wywialowski gave a moving remembrance in honor of Night Ministry Founding President and Former CEO Rev. Tom Behrens (who died this past April).
Wywialowski spoke about how Behrens’s decades of service, leadership and advocacy “helped change the landscape of homelessness services.” He added that after Behrens graduated from the seminary, he worked with other congregations to “perform compassionate and nonjudgemental outreach on the streets of Chicago … Tom gave us our foundation and pillars that we build today … and his spirit will continue to guide us.”
The Night Ministry Board of Directors Chair Michael Borromeo and The Night Ministry President and CEO Carol J. Sharp spoke about the gala’s theme—to connect with vulnerable neighbors to improve their lives, and make Chicago a better place for everyone.
Borromeo said Chicago is “a city of neighbors … where residents connect to and care for each other. I can think of no other organization that exemplifies this spirit, this ethos, of Chicago better than The Night Ministry.”
Additionally, Borromeo noted that The Night Ministry has reached over 5,100 Chicagoans with no permanent address this past year.
Sharp expressed her gratitude to all of The Night Ministry’s supporters for their “dedication and commitment.” She said that “the kindness of strangers and the support of the community has the power to change fear and darkness into light and hope,” driving the work The Night Ministry does. Sharp spoke about having a period of housing insecurity starting when she was two years old, and how that has shaped her entire life, including the work she does at The Night Ministry.