On Saturday, November 11, the Crossroads Chamber held its 19th annual Gala and largest fundraiser of the year. With it being a larger-scale event, there had to be an amazing theme. This year’s theme was 80s prom night. Many in attendance dressed up in their fun 80s-themed clothes and sang and danced the night away.
“One of our committee members, Roxanne Olynyk, has been asking for an 80s prom theme for several years,” said Shawn Petit, committee chair.
The event featured quite a bit of fundraising, some singing and dancing along with an award ceremony that celebrated firefighters, policemen, and educators in the community.
“There's not a lot of events in the community that I feel celebrates them. So this is one that we are honored to be a part of and to make them front and center because they deserve it,” said Crossroads board member, Roxanne Olejnik.
Fundraising has been a tradition every single year for the Crossroads Chamber Gala, this year being its largest.
“It is one of the larger fundraisers, if not the largest fundraiser for the Chamber. I have always taken a very personal view of the Chamber of Commerce in the business community of Merrillville," said Petit.
"I have always said that the business community is the backbone and all of our residents and the subdivisions are offshoots of that. Without a business community in your town, you do not really have a town so they are very important to us,” Petit continued.
Franciscan Health Foundation of Northern Indiana was one of the sponsors present for the event; they have been deemed as the largest sponsor for the Crossroads.
“They are always our major sponsor every year and we can't do this without them. So I like to thank them, they are near and dear to my heart for helping us,” said Olejnik when speaking on Franciscan Health.
Tons of sponsors were in attendance for the Gala, all from different backgrounds, yet all of them had the same goal in mind, that is to make the city and community better for those who are a part of it.
“I want to thank all of our sponsors for their hard work and dedication. I’ve always said that our local businesses and the Chamber are the backbone of Merrillville. Without all of these amazing businesses, I think we can all agree that we wouldn’t have a community. Our sponsors’ contributions are the heartbeat of our community and we are grateful for the positive impact they make every day,” said Pettit.
To learn more about the Crossroads Chamber, visit crossroadschamber.org.
