The Woman’s Board of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago found its place in the sun May 30, celebrating six decades of supporting Chicago’s youth at the annual Summer Ball. A crowd of 500 community and civic leaders turned out to the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel (221 N. Columbus) for the black-tie affair, where they mingled with Woman’s Board president Beth White and co-chairs Lisa Aronin and Kristen Mills during a during a two-hour cocktail reception, followed by dinner.

The Chicago Academy for the Arts raised over $350,000 at its A Taste for the Arts gala, hosted by Donna LaPietra and Bill Kurtis. After a performance by Academy students, guests proceeded to the Millenium Park Terrace for the live auctions and tastings provided by top chefs, led by Rick Bayless.

With its 10 Chicago-area locations now up and running, you might say Mariano’s Fresh Market is on a roll. On May 21, the upscale grocery store celebrated another recent launch: Tastemakers, a print and digital campaign featuring notable chefs from around the city, which was produced in collaboration with Splash. Bob Mariano began the evening by thanking his wife Nina for leading the campaign, then welcomed more than 70 VIP guests to their Greektown location (40 S. Halsted).

Rob and Sheryl Lowe took a break from Hollywood to host a Lynn Sage Cancer Research Foundation lunch May 24. More than 40 women involved with the nonprofit were invited to dine with the Lowes in the fourth-floor Zodiac Room at Neiman Marcus (737 N. Michigan) and view Sheryl’s pave diamond-studded jewelry collection at a special trunk show downstairs.

Residents and staff members of Misericordia (6300 N. Ridge) work year-round to create original, inspirational artwork, and May 22, their efforts paid off: More than 1,300 guests turned out to bid on their pieces at the 16th annual Artist in All event. Co-chairs Margaret Babjak and Rebecca Pasquesi welcomed attendees to the Art Institute of Chicago’s Modern Wing (159 E. Monroe), where they perused the 250 pieces — including paintings and photography — from more than 100 artists.

The Four Seasons Hotel Chicago (120 E. Delaware) transformed its pool deck into a runway May 23. An intimate group of 30 showed up at the hotel for a Splash-sponsored luncheon, where they got a sneak peek at this season’s hottest swim fashions and sipped Veuve Clicquot Champagne and vitamin-charged drinks from Peeled Juice Bar.

On May 11, friends of Horizon Hospice and Palliative Care gathered at a private club on the Magnificent Mile to celebrate 35 years of care. The event raised $200,000 for the All About Kids pediatric hospice and palliative care program.

Nearly 700 guests went wild for an exclusive sneak peek at the Goodman’s new musical “The Jungle Book” at the theater’s May 18 gala in the Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park (200 N. Columbus). Written and directed by Tony Award-winner Mary Zimmerman, the show included a seven-song set from the production, featuring a standout performance from Broadway legend André De Shields.

A Better Chicago’s first annual benefit, held at the UIC Forum (725 W. Roosevelt), set the bar high for future fundraising efforts — more than 400 guests helped the organization surpass the $1 million mark. Co-chairs Trisha Rooney Alden, Stephanie Harris, Jack Keller and Tim Schwertfeger welcomed business and civic leaders to the May 16 bash, which kicked off with a whiskey- and gin-centric cocktail hour and a deluge of comfort foods like sliders, fried chicken and mac ‘n’ cheese.

The sounds of world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma filled the Hilton Chicago (720 S. Michigan) May 17 at the Arts Alliance Illinois’ Voices of a Creative State Luncheon. A crowd of 500 corporate and civic leaders came together for the event, along with honorary co-chairs Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Pamela Crutchfield, Joan W. Harris and Kassie Davis. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) presented Fay Hartog-Levin with the organization’s first Citizen Advocate award for her vision and civic leadership in the arts, and Jerlane Payne, a student at the University of Chicago Woodlawn Charter School, stole the spotlight by performing her spoken word piece, “The Flowship of Friends,” accompanied by Yo-Yo Ma.