ABC7 Chicago weekend anchor Samantha Chatman is heading back to Gary to host the YWCA of Northwest Indiana's Circle of Friends Gala on October 8, an annual celebration honoring community changemakers that this year carries extra weight after the organization spent part of the summer sheltering residents through a major power outage. The event kicks off at 6 p.m. at Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana, with proceeds supporting the YWCA's mission to eliminate racism, empower women, and strengthen communities across the region.
Chatman's return to the emcee podium was confirmed when YWCA of Northwest Indiana Executive Director Caren Jones and Board President Michelle Johnson joined ABC7 Chicago on a Sunday morning segment to discuss the gala. Chatman is a two-time Emmy Award-winning investigative reporter who earned her broadcast journalism degree, with a minor in African American studies, from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, according to N'DIGO. This is not her first time in the role: she previously co-hosted the YWCA's 100th anniversary gala in October 2020 alongside her father, Chicago radio personality DJ Sam Chatman, per the Post-Tribune. That centennial event was livestreamed as a virtual gala during the COVID-19 pandemic, the same report noted.
Gala Honors Six Community Awardees and Caren Jones
This year's gala will recognize six local leaders with Circle of Friends Community Awards, and Executive Director Caren Jones will receive the separate Earline Smith Rogers Trailblazer Award, according to GreatNews.Life. Boni Fine will receive the Circle of Vision Award, Dr. Vanessa Allen-McCloud the Women Who Lead Award, and Dr. Brenda Thompson the Safe Futures Award. Rounding out the honorees are Dr. Steve Simpson, who will receive the Community Longevity Award, Kimberly Renee Ferrell with the Rising Torch Award, and Daisy Purnell, who will accept the Circle of Friends Longevity Member Award.
Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana, the $300 million entertainment complex that opened in Gary in 2021, is returning as venue host and lead corporate sponsor for the gala, the same GreatNews.Life report states. The casino replaced former Gary riverboat casino operations, a shift also noted in prior Hoodline coverage of the area.
Storm Response Adds Urgency to This Year's Fundraiser
The October gala follows a period when the YWCA served as a critical lifeline rather than a symbolic one. After a severe storm on August 11, 2026 knocked out power and basic services across Gary, the organization served as a primary emergency resource hub and safe haven for displaced residents, per the same GreatNews.Life account. Gala proceeds directly fund the organization's crisis response capacity, according to remarks from Executive Director Caren Jones cited in that report.
That emergency role builds on a century of infrastructure the YWCA has built in Gary. The organization was founded in 1920 by Gary's first lady Cassie Hodges and activist Laura Seaman, who traveled to New York during the suffrage era and persuaded steel magnate Elbert H. Gary to donate $100,000 in U.S. Steel stock, the Post-Tribune reported. The effort was created to ensure women had access to social and community resources equal to the city's male steelworkers. After operating out of a repurposed downtown furniture store at 6th Avenue and Massachusetts Street from 1922 to 2000, the YWCA opened its current headquarters at 150 W. 15th Avenue in December 2000, the same historical account noted.
From a Public Pool to Senior Fitness, Programs Rely on Gala Funds
The YWCA's 15th Avenue campus now includes a public pool facility, while the organization also offers youth programming. In June 2024, the YWCA reopened Gary's only public indoor swimming pool following a yearlong renovation supported by municipal funding and private donors, according to Northwest Indiana Business Magazine. A study by the USA Swimming Foundation and the University of Memphis estimates that 64% of Black children cannot swim, making local pool access a public safety priority the outlet highlighted alongside the reopening.
The organization has also expanded programming for older adults. In February 2024, the YWCA launched Senior Fitness and Forever Active classes, providing twice-weekly exercise, dance, and strength training sessions for older adults in Gary, according to the Chicago Crusader. The initiative aims to reduce chronic health issues among Gary seniors, the outlet reported. Individual tickets and sponsorships for the October 8 gala are being sold via Swell Gives, per GreatNews.Life.
