THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

To be held Oct, 12, 2004 at the Palmer House Hilton, this event has become a highlight of the fall social season. Guests are encouraged to bring a gently-used handbag, which will be donated to Howard Brown Health Center's Brown Elephant Resale Stores. All proceeds from the Handbags & Halos luncheon will benefit Howard Brown Health Center, along with raffle proceeds from 10 designer handbags, with tickets to be sold only at the luncheon.

Dina Merrill, noted film and stage actress, will be the event's featured speaker. The daughter of Marjorie Merriweather Post and Edward F. Hutton, Merrill has starred in 22 films as well as numerous Broadway productions. Now dividing her time between homes in Los Angeles and New York, Dina is Vice Chairman of RKO Pictures and has served on numerous charitable boards, including the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

Keith Waterbrook, executive director of Howard Brown Health Center, said, 'We are delighted to once again be the recipient of funds raised at this wonderful event. Bunky's contagious enthusiasm not only for his work but also for the friends he has made in his time in Chicago is a wonderful testament to the true meaning of selflessness. We are also pleased that Dina Merrill has agreed to join us for this year's event to bring additional awareness to our work.'

Bunky Cushing is a confidant and companion to many of society's most well-connected and philanthropic women, whether they are in Chicago, Palm Beach or Grosse Pointe. This year Cushing accompanied a group of Chicago donors to the re-opening of the Trois Fontaines Bosquet at Versailles outside Paris. The Chicago Tribune has said that Bunky 'is an arbiter of taste for the créme de la créme of Chicago society.'

For more information, contact: Bunky Cushing (773) 296-1579 or Michael Anderson (773) 388-8891 Senior Director of Development, Howard Brown Health Center.