"Cheers for Change" Fundraising Event

The Sheilah A. Doyle Foundation presents:
CHEERS FOR CHANGE 2019
FUNDRAISING EVENT
Help us in changing children’s tragedies into bright futures.

This event will benefit children whose parent, legal guardian or sibling fell victim to homicide. All proceeds from this event will go toward:
• The 9th annual bereavement camp that will be held September, 2019 for 40+ children and 80+ volunteers.
• College scholarships that will be awarded to high school seniors who attend our fall 2019 bereavement camp.
• One-day parent program

Includes: Family Style Dinner, Open Bar, Live Music from Chicago Elite Orchestra, Silent Auction and Raffles! - Casual attire

Sheilah A. Doyle Foundation Raises Funds and Awareness for Youth Impacted by Homicide

2019 Cheers for Change event marks 10th anniversary

In the wake of tragedy, positive action oftentimes follows as an outlet for grief. Such was the case in 2009 when the Doyle family launched the Sheilah A. Doyle Foundation (SAD) in honor of their wife and mother, a victim of homicide. This year marks the 25th anniversary of her death. To date, more than 150 children ages 7-17 have attended the foundation’s free, annual bereavement camp named Camp Sheilah. Campers share a common story: loss of a parent, legal guardian, or sibling to homicide.

SAD is now looking for raffle items and sponsors for its annual fundraiser, Cheers for Change, to be held on March 9, 2019, from 6:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. at the Odyssey Country Club in Tinley Park. Proceeds subsidize Camp Sheilah, held each September in Frankfort, Ill., a one-day parent program, college scholarships for high school seniors who have attended Camp Sheilah, and other events for families impacted by homicide.

Cheers for Change 2019 will mark the 10th anniversary of the SAD Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit. The event will also honor difference-makers with the third annual Sheilah A. Doyle Foundation Humanitarian Award presented to an individual who exhibits the qualities of the award’s namesake. The Camp Sheilah Award will go to a graduating high school senior who has exhibited exemplary leadership at camp.

“What we’re teaching kids through this program is to figure out how to pay it forward,” said SAD Executive Director Kevin Doyle. “How do we take our negative tragedy and turn it into something positive? That’s what we teach kids. That’s what helps kids heal.”

Camp Sheilah, now in its ninth year, pairs a mentor with a camper. Of the 102 volunteers at the 2018 camp, seven began as campers. This fact is something Doyle — along with his two sisters Kristin and Kelly and father Bill — is very proud of.