Join us for the 2nd Annual Circus Soirée, where guests will be treated to a special circus performance by CircEsteem youth and staff, a live and silent auction, and an opportunity to learn how to walk on a tightrope, juggle or roll around in a gym wheel. Circus Soirée proceeds benefit CircEsteem's HomeWork & CircusWork program, an after school program that provides tutoring, circus arts training, and healthy snacks to more than 30 youth three times a week throughout the school year.
Since 2001, CircEsteem's mission has been to unite youth from diverse racial, cultural, and economic backgrounds by helping them build self-esteem and mutual respect through the practice of circus arts. Our curriculum includes clowning, juggling, stilt-walking, unicycling, and acrobatics all of which is taught by professional circus staff and is designed to allow students to progress at their own pace. By overcoming obstacles and achieving goals, our students demonstrate increased self-esteem, higher grade point averages, and new found circus skills.
My favorite Circus Soirée shots were the cool juxtaposition of the kids doing circus arts and the rockin' antiques in the Architectural Artifacts space.
Check out ChiIL Mama's Full Circus Soiree Photo Recap Below:
Last year my husband & I video taped the whole show & shot close to 500 stills, and our son & daughter both performed. This year our kids are taking a fall hiatus after 3 solid years of circus arts with CircEsteem.
Du-Jay just started the selective enrollment, gifted program at Lane Tech and needs to settle in to the rigorous academic demands and workload. Sagezilla is again doing competitive gymnastics with the Chicago Comets team and has practice 4 days a week, so we needed to ease up on circus, just for the moment. But we'll be back! The kids adore circus arts and we have seen first hand what a wonderful program CircEsteem runs and highly recommend it. Help out if you can!
We need your help to reach our goal of raising $60,000 to support our free circus programs. There are many ways you can get involved. Buy a ticket to the event, donate an item to the silent auction, make a donation or volunteer! It's going to be a night you won't want to miss!
Check out more of our "best of" below:
There was excellent array of food choices from jambalaya to gourmet tacos & crepes.
The "boozie snocones" and non boozie snocones for the under agers were a huge hit!
And there was a plethora of cool silent auction items to choose from. We were so stoked to win the collapsible hula hoop, private lessons with Dizzy Lizzy and an outdoor trapeze session on the lakefront!
Don't miss Circus Soirée 2 on October 17th!! Book your tickets by the 4th. Time's ticking....
Sagezilla's first pro-stage makeup session!
These kids & instructors have some serious talents!
At CircEsteem the older kids are paid to mentor and teach the younger ones and sliding scale classes and free tutoring make circus arts accessible to all. HELP OUT if you can.
Take a peek below to learn about our fundraising goals, how to buy tickets for Circus Soirée or to volunteer and/or participate at the event!
It's CircEsteem like you've never seen us before at this fall's Circus Soirée!
Join CircEsteem on Thursday, October 18th from 7pm-10pm at Architectural Artifacts for an evening of inspiring performances, delectable food and libation, a spectacular silent auction- Whimsy, surprise and amazement around every corner!
VIP ticket holders can enjoy a private pre-party reception from 6pm-7pm in the Architectural Artifacts garden with special food, an open bar and exciting live performance as well as reserved VIP seating at the main event!
Learn more about the needs behind our fundraising-
$50,000 a year-
CircEsteem offers free tutoring and circus instruction 3 days a week, 32 weeks of the year, through our 'HomeWork & CircusWork' program.This program is 100% free to participants and serves over 30 youth each week.
20,000 miles a year to transport- CircEsteem transports 30 youth a week, picking them up at school and taking them home afterwards. Money raised at Circus Soirée will help us buy a new van allowing more youth to participate.
Will YOU support CircEsteem and help us reach our goals?
40,000 participants
CircEsteem reaches over 40,000 people each year offering over 150 workshops and performances. We crisscross the city and suburbs providing circus programs at 15 offsite locations 5 days a week.
100% High School graduation rates-
CircEsteem has a 100% graduation rate from high school, with all of the students going on to pursue higher learning. To date CE graduates have amassed over $600,000 in outside scholarships thanks to our partnership withChicago Scholars.
To date CircusTeens have been paid over $40,000 with almost $15,000 of it being saved for college. In addition CE has provided matching funds to encourage college savings totaling nearly $10,000.
There's still time to buy your tickets to Circus Soirée!
Nothing would please us more than having you join our fundraising efforts on Thursday, October 18th at Architectural Artifacts for our Circus Soirée!
Your contributions help make our free programming, youth employment efforts and community outreach a continued reality!
For more info, to purchase tickets or make a financial contribution
It's a family circus....Du-Jay and Sagezilla are performing with a slew of talented CircEsteem kids. We'll be there shooting stills and video. If you can't make it or don't live locally, you can still donate. CircEsteem's doing amazing work. Check it out!
