Saint Mary's College Chicago East Alumnae Club

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Saint Mary's College Chicago East Alumnae Club

Check out our website (https://www.smcchicagoeast.com/) for the latest club events, news, membership and how to join.

The Chicago East Club has over 1500 members in the Chicagoland area, and is one of the most active alumnae clubs in the country.

08/28/2026

We had a gorgeous August evening picnic for our discussion of Maine Characters by Hannah Orenstein!

While the book landed somewhere in the middle for most of us—not a strong love or hate—it sparked a really interesting discussion. Most of the group expected something more rom-com-ish and instead got a harder-hitting story full of some pretty unlikable characters. One of our favorite questions was: Who was the true villain? The sisters? The dad? Either of the moms? We had plenty of opinions! Another question that may become a book club favorite: If you could write fan fiction about this story, what storyline or character would you explore?

A huge thank-you to Erica '06 for being such a flexible host. We pivoted to a picnic at Women's Park and Gardens in the South Loop, which was a first visit for many of us. We enjoyed salads, sandwiches, treats, lobster gummies, and two special treats straight out of Maine that Genevieve '98 brought for us from her recent trip!

We were also excited to welcome Jenny '99 and Elaina '22 to their very first book club!

It may have been a slight departure from our typical summer read, but it was an amazing evening of books and, most importantly, connection.

08/18/2026

Join your Chicago Belles for a Founders’ Day service event to celebrate Saint Mary’s and give back to our local community. This year, we will be getting together to serve families at the Saturday Pantry at Mission of Our Lady of the Angels on Saturday, October 3rd from 8am - Noon.

All interested attendees must sign up by September 10th to ensure Mission OLA has a accurate headcount, so grab a Belle and sign up today! https://www.smcchicagoeast.com/events/2026/10/3/founders-day-service-mission-ola

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The Mission of Our Lady of the Angels establishes a Catholic presence in the West Humboldt Park area on Chicago’s west side.

The sisters provide fresh produce, non perishable food, clothing, and household goods to about 250 families each month at their Saturday Pantry.

08/11/2026

Join fellow Notre Dame and Saint Mary's moms for a relaxed, family-friendly morning at the playground! This casual meet-up is a great opportunity to connect with other Domer families while the kids play and make new friends.

Come and go whenever it works best for your family—there's no need to arrive right at the start or stay for the entire event. Be sure to pack a swimsuit or a change of clothes so your little ones can cool off and enjoy the splash pad!

Kid-friendly snacks and drinks will be provided. When you arrive, just look for the Chicago Bulls flag to find our group at the playground.

We can't wait to see you and your family there! ☘️

08/10/2026

Last week, we hosted a send off for the Saint Mary’s Class of 2030. It was a great evening welcoming eight Chicago-area Belles and their families into the Saint Mary’s community! 💙 🔔

Thank you to Kristen Lynch '91 for so generously hosting the send off at her home!

We had 10 Belles from the classes of 2027, 2028 and 2029 attend and give advice about their current experience at SMC. And a special thank you to all the parents who attended and shared their advice with our newest Belles and their families.

We also had several Alumnae and club board members attend to share their Saint Mary’s story and post grad experience.

It was a great evening, and we are so excited for these Belles to begin their Saint Mary’s journey! 💙🔔

08/03/2026

✨ Read along with us this month! For August, we are discussing MAINE CHARACTERS by Hannah Orenstein. This month our genre is "summer or beach read".

This love letter to lake life is “the Parent Trap for adults,” the story of two half-sisters who meet for the first time at their father’s cabin in Maine after his unexpected death.

Every summer, Vivian Levy and Lucy Webster spend a month with their father at his lake house — separately. Raised in New York City, Vivian is an ambitious sommelier with a secret that could derail her future. Lucy grew up in a tiny Maine town, where she now teaches high school English while watching her marriage unravel. They’ve never met. While Lucy envied her half-sister from afar, their father kept Vivian in the dark.

When Vivian arrives at the lake to spread his ashes and sell his cabin, she's shocked to find Lucy there, awaiting his return. In an ideal world, they’d help each other through their grief. Instead, forced to spend the summer together, they fight through a storm of suspicion and hostility to untangle the messy truth about their parents’ pasts. While Lucy is desperate to hold onto the house, Vivian is scrambling after a betrayal. After thirty years apart, is it too late for them to be a family?

For fans of Carley Fortune and Elin Hilderbrand, this sister story set on a lush lake brims with the undeniable heart, depth, charm, and humor that have endeared Hannah Orenstein to legions of readers.

07/22/2026

We are always looking for new ways to give back to our local Chicago community. As we look towards the future of the club, we'd like to hear from you on what you are looking for in a community service opportunity.

Do you prefer to volunteer on a weeknight after work or on weekends?

Would you like to bring your kids, partner or a friend with you to a service event?

What types of service are you interested in? A supply drive? Park clean up? Cooking a meal at a shelter? Tutoring kids?

We have so many great ideas and we'd love your input as we work to organize future events to bring together Belles to give back to Chicago.

Please help us by taking our brief survey via the link in our bio. Check your email for more information!

07/14/2026

What a beautiful summer evening for book club! This month we read our Hot & Trending pick, Theo of Golden by Allen Levi. Overall, the group landed around an average rating of 7/10 with some loving it and some finding the pacing to be too slow.

Many book club members resonated with the slower, character-driven storytelling. The themes of kindness, ordinary people, and finding meaning in everyday life really struck a chord. We talked about the religious undertones woven throughout the novel—subtle for much of the book, then more prominent near the end. And the ending sparked plenty of debate (as all good book club endings should!). Also everyone loved the cover and wished the novel had included sketches or illustrations of the portraits described throughout the story.

A huge thank you to Laura and Basia for being incredible co-hosts! Basia's rooftop gave us the perfect setting for an outdoor book club--complete with a beautiful sunset and a welcome breeze after a very hot day.

And the food...wow! Laura put together an amazing Portuguese-inspired spread, including delicious treats from Nando's and authentic Portuguese pastéis de nata. Basia baked fresh bread and the most delicious blood orange jasmine cookies.

📚 Read along with us each month!

07/05/2026

✨ Read along with us this month! For July, we are discussing THEO OF GOLDEN by Allen Levi. This month our genre is a "hot or trending" book. ✨

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi is a major 2026 breakout, appearing on the New York Times best-seller list for at least 20 weeks, reaching No. 1 on the Combined Print & E-Book Fiction list. Originally self-published in 2023, the word-of-mouth sensation was picked up by Atria Books (Simon & Schuster) following massive grassroots popularity in 2025.

One spring morning, a stranger named Theo arrives in the small Southern city of Golden. He doesn't explain much about where he came from or why he's there—but when he visits the local coffeehouse, where pencil portraits of the people of Golden hang on the walls, he begins purchasing them, one at a time, and giving each portrait to the person depicted. In exchange, he asks only for the person's story. And so portrait by portrait, person by person, secrets are revealed, regrets are shared, and ordinary lives are profoundly altered.

A story of giving and receiving, of seeing and being seen, Theo of Golden is an unforgettable novel about the power of generosity, the importance of connection, and the quiet miracles that happen when we choose kindness and wonder.

06/23/2026

Join your fellow Belles as alumna Claire Kenney '10 hosts Barre for Belles at The Barre Code (435 N. LaSalle Blvd., Lower Level) - a barre class to benefit our scholarship fund for Saint Mary's students! 💪💙🔔

Join us for class on Saturday, July 18th at Noon! This 50-minute barre class led by '10 alumna Claire Kenney will be absolute fire! Join us as we pulse and shake with low impact, pilates-based movements while raising money for Saint Mary's scholarships for local current SMICKS!

The firs 10 Belles to sign up will receive a free smoothie so register ASAP!

🎟️ Please register via the link in our bio or on our website!

06/21/2026

Despite tornado warnings, severe weather alerts, and a brief shelter-in-place after our discussion, 11 brave readers gathered in Bucktown for our June Book Club discussion of Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.

A huge thank you to April for hosting us and creating one of our most creative themed menus yet!

Our mission-ready spread included Swedish Meatball Asteroids, Mission Control Charcuterie, Taumoeba Spinach Artichoke Dip, and the crowd-favorite Astrophage Fuel Cells (oat and peanut butter energy bites). Featured beverages included Jazz Hands with Ilyukhina's Vodka Stash, rosé, non-alcoholic rosé, and sparkling water.

While not everyone had quite finished the book, the conversation was lively and engaging. Most members who finished the novel loved it making it one of our highest rated book club selections in recent memory!

Several themes emerged during our discussion. We debated whether the science was fascinating or occasionally a bit too science-y. We appreciated Andy Weir's imaginative interpretation of alien life and found the friendship between Rocky and Grace to be one of the most compelling and believable relationships in the novel.

We also discussed how clearly the novel reflects the era in which it was written. Many readers noted themes of loneliness, isolation, resilience, and human connection that felt especially resonant in a post-pandemic world. The relationship between Grace and Rocky seemed to embody many of those ideas, which may help explain why it resonated so strongly with readers.

We also discussed the movie adaptation and whether Ryan Gosling being cast as Ryland Grace helped or hindered our reading experience. For those looking forward to the adaptation, the movie is now available on streaming.

📚 Read along with us each month!

Address

Chicago, IL
60602

Website

http://www.smcchicagoeast.com/

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