An Enchanted Evening

We will be having our annual fundraiser on May 25, 2024 beginning at 6pm at the Gary (Miller Beach) Aquatorium. Come enjoy an extravagant evening of great food, music, an auction, and dancing. Music will be rendered by musical extraordinaire Mrs. Altovise Ferguson along with a live band. Our special guest, Lisa Beasley (AKA Corporate Erin), will be highlighting the evening as the hostess.

Tickets are $100 per person. $150 per couple.

The Venue

A National Historic Landmark, the Gary Aquatorium was rescued from demolition by the Chanute Aquatorium Society in 1991. The building honors Octave Chanute, the grandfather of flight, and the Tuskegee Airmen, the pioneers who spearheaded the integration of the armed forces.

The Aquatorium continues to draw an enormous amount of attention and is a great venue to host the most elegant events such as weddings and galas. You have to see the venue in person to fully appreciate its splendor.

The Host

Erin Throlopolis is the Manager for the Managerial Logistics of Management for McManagement. If her title made you laugh, you should see her videos. Corporate Erin is a character conceived of by actress Lisa Beasley, one of several social media talents who have gone viral by taking the lemons that can be life as an employee and turning it into hilarious lemonade. She posted her first “Erin” video in 2021, but she has started to post on a more consistent basis since late 2022. On Nov. 13, Beasley posted her most successful “Corporate Erin” video, receiving over 4 million views.

“She talks about relationships and things you shouldn’t accept from a man,” Beasley said. For “corporate sprinkle sprinkle” posts, Beasley’s character “goes live to say what you shouldn’t take from a job and treatment you shouldn’t take from a job.”

Regardless of which format she uses, Beasley sheds light on some of her least favorite characteristics of corporate culture and challenges many of the processes she saw as an employee — whether questioning why a meeting is at a certain time or asking to be reimbursed in a timely manner.

“I want people to start questioning the practices of the way America works because don’t nobody like it,” she said. “It’s the reason we all hate going to work, for real.”

The Guest Vocalist

Altovise Ferguson is a native of Gary, Indiana. She began her career as a dancer, under the instruction of the late Corine Morse Williams and started singing at the age of 10.  Since no one in her immediate family sang they shrugged it off, but it was her dance instructor that realized the gift in Altovise. Then she discovered the world of modeling at John Robert Powers in Chicago Illinois. She was chosen to participate in the International Talent & Modeling Association in New York and placed 4th runner up for “Talent of the Year.” After graduating as a Vocal Music Major from Emerson Visual & Performing Arts High School in 1994, she pursued a cosmetology career. Altovise also became an actress with the West Side Theatre Guild where she in stage plays and films. She even had the opportunity to sing for Coretta Scott King and Michael Jackson. Altovise recorded and released “Something out of Nothing” in 2015; it is a ground breaking song that has been well received by listening audiences locally and nationally. She has found her authentic voice and gained the strength to live out all her dreams. Altovise completed the book about her journey which is entitled, “Live to Win: My Victory Over Cancer” and it was published in December 2015. 

Altovise currently travels the world singing and speaking to share her life story. As a result of her life story people have learned thrive in life. Altovise released new music in 2020, “Won’t Do It Again “her first credit as songwriter and co-producer. She also started a podcast “The Courage to Continue “. Altovise made her television debut on the Fox show “Empire” in 2020. It would become her first credit as an actress.  She gained her second credit on the hit Amazon series “The G” , which is filmed in her hometown, Gary, In. Altovise also appears as a plus size model in the 2020 Penningtons Holiday Campaign. She is a member of SAG-AFTRA  and represented by Hayes Talent  Agency. 

  

Tickets are $100 per person. $150 per couple.

---