Movie screening to benefit River Forest family

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Kari Harris is co-chair of this year’s movie fundraiser. Last year she and her family, including son and daughter James and Katie and husband Jay, were the recipients of funds raised to help a local family manage hardship. | Meredith Morris~for Sun-Times

Updated: February 20, 2012 8:21AM

“How to Train Your Dragon” becomes ‘How to Benefit a Local Family’ when the Oak Park Women’s Guild holds its third annual movie fundraising event on Jan. 28.

The event, held cooperatively with the Lake Theatre, features a family film screening from which all proceeds benefit a family facing a life-altering situation. This year, proceeds will benefit River Forest resident Sandie Figatner and her two sixth grade children, Kayla and Trey. Bill Figatner, Sandie’s husband, died Dec. 29 of esophageal cancer.

Co-chairing this year’s movie fundraiser are Women’s Guild members Kari Harris and Alison Welch. Last year, Harris’ own family benefitted from the fundraiser as she and her husband, Jay, and two small children grappled with her stage three breast cancer diagnosis.

“A traumatic event is a strain on a person but it’s an even bigger strain on a family,” Harris said. “You can’t just let your kids’ lives go because you have this diagnosis.”

In Harris’ case, diagnosis and treatment fell at a time when her husband’s business often demanded 18-hour workdays. The family used donations from the fundraiser to pay for child care during Harris’ chemotherapy and radiation sessions and to help pay medical bills.

“It was an amazing experience,” Harris said. “My journey [with cancer] was about a year long. The movie event came a couple of months into it and it was awe-inspiring to stand in front of a group of people who came out to support me, whether they knew me or not. It really shows you what’s important in life.”

The Guild’s initial fundraiser in 2010 was created out of members’ interest in helping another young local mother cope with breast cancer. There are no requirements to benefit from the event, though the Guild seeks locally engaged families with young children that are facing financially and emotionally challenging circumstances.

Bill Figatner, whose family will benefit from the fundraiser this year, was an active volunteer with his children’s River Forest school. Many people knew Bill and Sandie from their family-owned Berwyn business, Figatner-Scott Decorating Company and Old Fashioned Candies.

“We started this year’s nomination process in September and had about five families,” Harris said. “We felt this family had shown community involvement for quite a while. Plus, because they have their own small local business, they don’t have the same insurance benefits that families would from a large company.”

The fundraiser has yielded about $4,000 annually but this year the Guild hopes to raise $5,000, Harris said. The Lake Theater donates the theater space, ticket sales process and film, which this year was selected by Kayla and Trey Figatner. The Guild hires a projectionist from its own budget, holds a raffle and publicizes the event.

“Every dollar that a person spends on the movie or a raffle ticket goes straight to the family,” Harris said.

“This is a community event on a winter Saturday morning, which is a good time for many families to be together. It also has an emotional aspect of imagining if you were dealing with the same kind of event as the Figatner family. For the recipient, it’s a tremendous experience to have the community stand behind you.”