Diamonds & Denim 2025
February 1 @ 5:30 pm
$60
When: Saturday, February 1, 2025 | 5:30 pm
Where: Poe’s on the Hill, Springfield, IL
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS
Join Team Esme for an Unforgettable Evening of Fun and Fundraising!
Get ready for a night of delicious food, lively dancing, and exciting entertainment. DJ Chad Burton will keep the energy high throughout the evening. Explore our silent auction items, available for browsing and bidding all night, and don’t miss the live auction kicking off at 8 PM!
Dress to impress in your best “diamonds” or keep it relaxed in “denim”—either way, you’re in for a fantastic time.
Event Details:
- Tickets: $60 per person | $110 per couple
- Dinner Options: Prime Rib or Cavatappi with Alfredo Chicken
Includes a decadent dessert buffet! - Doors Open: 5 PM
Bring some cash for 50/50 draws, raffles, and other fun games. Mark your calendar and join us for an evening you won’t want to miss!
We’re raising funds for Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) research, advocacy and family support, inspired by Esme—our beautiful, loving 6-year-old whose resilience shines despite countless challenges.
PWS is a rare genetic condition that begins with low muscle tone, feeding difficulties, and delayed development in infancy. By childhood, it evolves into a relentless hunger that dominates daily life. For Esme, this syndrome is just one part of who she is, but it significantly impacts her and our family’s world.
While we cherish dreams for Esme’s future, we also face fears of the insatiable appetite PWS brings. There’s no cure yet, but with your support, we can fund the research, advocacy, and family support resources to give her—and others—a chance at independence and freedom from hunger.
Join us on February 1st for an unforgettable evening of hope and impact!
Jennifer Bolander has been serving as a Special Education Specialist for PWSA (USA) since October of 2015. She is a graduate of John Carroll University and lives in Ohio with her husband Brad and daughters Kate (17), and Sophia (13) who was born with PWS.
Perry A. Zirkel has written more than 1,500 publications on various aspects of school law, with an emphasis on legal issues in special education. He writes a regular column for NAESP’s Principal magazine and NASP’s Communiqué newsletter, and he did so previously for Phi Delta Kappan and Teaching Exceptional Children.
Evan has worked with the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association (USA) since 2007 primarily as a Crisis Intervention and Family Support Counselor. Evans works with parents and schools to foster strong collaborative relationships and appropriate educational environments for students with PWS.
Dr. Amy McTighe is the PWS Program Manager and Inpatient Teacher at the Center for Prader-Willi Syndrome at the Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh. She graduated from Duquesne University receiving her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Education with a focus on elementary education, special education, and language arts.
Staci Zimmerman works for Prader-Willi Syndrome Association of Colorado as an Individualized Education Program (IEP) consultant. Staci collaborates with the PWS multi-disciplinary clinic at the Children’s Hospital in Denver supporting families and school districts around the United States with their child’s Individual Educational Plan.
Founded in 2001, SDLC is a non-profit legal services organization dedicated to protecting and advancing the legal rights of people with disabilities throughout the South. It partners with the Southern Poverty Law Center, Protection and Advocacy (P&A) programs, Legal Services Corporations (LSC) and disability organizations on major, systemic disability rights issues involving the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the federal Medicaid Act. Recently in November 2014, Jim retired.