A Boy and His Dream Annual Gala

Check out the Gala promotional video here!

You Are Cordially Invited to A Boy And His Dream's Annual Gala Glitter and Gold: An Evening For Change Saturday, February 4, 2023

A BOY AND HIS DREAM presents their Annual Fundraising Gala Glitter & Gold: An Evening For Change at the W Chicago - City Center on Saturday, February 4th, beginning at 6 o'clock. Join us for a beautiful evening affair in the heart of Chicago for dinner and a silent auction, hosted by Emmy Award-winning television personality, actor, musician Ryan Chiaverini, and co-hosted by Jay Deep, with entertainment by Yhan Experience and DJ Corey Sanford. All proceeds from the event will go towards underprivileged children in Ekpon, Edo State, Nigeria.

With your generosity, we hope to raise $150,000, which will enable us to provide:

Two large playgrounds

75,000 packaged meals

500 stuffed animals

School supplies

Hygiene supplies

Basic recreational equipment

Thank you to our incredible sponsors for making An Evening For Change happen:

W Chicago - City Center

Tequila 1349

Taylor Scotch Whisky Limited

Riboli Family Wines

Lifetime Fitness

Sunny Biggy Fitness LLC

Refresh Alliance

Please note, the cutoff date for group reservations & ticket sales is January 4th, 2023.

After this date, the discounted room rate will no longer be available, and ticket sales will be closed.

Please use the custom web link below to book reservations at the group rate. You may also dial the reservations desk at 1-888-236-2427 for 24-hour assistance.

Book your group rate for A BOY AND HIS DREAM GALA

Hosted By Ryan Chiaverini

Ryan Chiaverini is a Chicago/Midwest Emmy Award-winning television personality, actor, musician, and the co-host of Windy City Weekend, formerly Windy City Live on ABC7 Chicago (WLS-TV) alongside Val Warner.  Formerly the sports anchor for ABC 7's top-rated weekend newscasts, Chiaverini auditioned for Windy City LIVE and was chosen for the top co-host job from a field of several hundred candidates. His charm and ease as an interviewer were first noticed when he hosted ABC 7's Bears' pre-game show, THE CHICAGO HUDDLE. Ryan's quick wit, work ethic, and reputation as someone you can't help but like, made him the perfect choice for ABC 7's new local show. Ryan's trademark "2-Minute Warning" segments, featuring entertainment and sports celebrities answering fun trivia questions, has become a Windy City LIVE favorite. Chiaverini has interviewed some of the biggest names in entertainment, sports and music, including Will Ferrell, Jimmy Kimmel, Jane Lynch, Bonnie Hunt, Mike Tyson, Chance the Rapper, Barry Manilow, Patrick Kane, Kerry Woods and Joe Maddon. Prior to Windy City LIVE, Chiaverini joined Chicago's Number One sports team as sports reporter/fill-in anchor in March, 2006 was promoted to sports anchor on the station's weekend newscasts.

Co-Hosted By Jay Deep

Jay Deep is a native of Chicago, who became a favorite performer throughout the Midwest & abroad.After bursting on the comedy scene in the mid 90's. He's performed in cities such as Las Vegas, New York, Miami; as well as internationally in Amsterdam, Belgium,Rotterdam, London, Montreal and Toronto to name a few.

His success in stand-up comedy brought Hollywood knocking, landing him cameos in films such as Paramount's “Light It Up”, MGM Pictures “Barbershop”and “Barbershop2: Back in Business”. His television highlights include eight seasons of BET's“ComicView” plus a half hour comedy special.He also performed on HBO's “Bad Boys of Comedy” and has a 5-star rated, Amazon Prime comedy special, “Ain’tIsh Shy About the Chi.”  He’s as comfortable in front of the camera as he is behind the scenes. Graduating from the New York Film Academy, he took the knowledge he learned & applied it, by most recently directing two short films,  “The 40+Double Dutch Club – Beyond the Ropes” and basketball documentary“Ball Like Me”.  The opportunity was presented to him to share what he’d learned about the industry by teaching Improv and Theater in the Summer Internship for the Gifted at the University of Chicago — he took up the challenge and excelled. This landed him another opportunity to teach creative writing to students in the ARTINC program in Peoria, Illinois.

Jay currently resides in Chicago and believes, “Success is not to be pursued; it isto be attracted by the person we become.”

Fundraising Auctioneer: Dan Campbell from Raising Paddles

Dan Campbell is extraordinarily adept at engaging his audience, he reads the mood and crowd with exceptional skill. He is superior at quickly captivating the guests. He creates an exciting environment that sets the stage for achieving the highest possible bid. Dan takes the time to learn about each live auction item.

Performances By American Idol finalist Iesha Sturdivant and artist Yohan Stevenson

About Iesha Sturdivant:

Iesha Sturdivant is a singer, songwriter, multilayered inspirational recording artist from Chicago IL. Her early experience includes writing, recording, touring with national & international artists and appearing on American Idol.

Performing in a wide range of venues, festivals, guest appearances and interviews, Esh brings a wealth of knowledge, style and substance to her performances. Her lyrics are straightforward, and her voice is captivating, with a delivery that resonates deeply with listeners.

Esh is currently working on a solo project, in addition to working with community leaders and organizations to facilitate music healing sessions, and workshops that empower participants to find meaning and purpose through music.

"Music is in everything we do. To understand music is to understand life. To understand life is to understand oneself." - Esh

Website Instagram

About Yohan Stevenson:

IT STARTS WITH -

Music . . . the universal language of love and freedom

CLASSIC, TIMELESS, VERSATILE, ENGAGING and ENTERTAINING describe one of Chicago’s finest crooners to ever take the stage. A Chicago west side native, Yohan is influenced by artists such as Maxwell, John Legend, Robin Thicke, Seal, Lenny Kravitz, Michael Bublé and Josh Groban to name a few. Ranging from power ballads, Standards and Classic love songs to mid and up-tempo Soul, Rock, Funk and Pop, Yohan incorporates his gospel roots with these various genres to create a style and sound, he’s coined, “The Yohan Experience”.

Website