Chris Patterson Memorial Foundation

Recently hired as the Waupaca Community Arts Hub’s new administrator, Rachel Bailey will be the new face all students and their parents will greet when they arrive for art and cooking classes, or for music lessons. Bailey will handle the day-to-day operations at the Arts Hub, as well as marketing and support tasks.

Bailey also is the social media director for another non-profit, The Chris Patterson Memorial Foundation, and has a long history of participating in the Fine Arts as a French Horn player for her high school and the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse marching bands. “Fine Arts education had a large impact on who I grew to be as an adult. The Arts wing of my high school definitely was where you could find me partaking in most everything that was offered,” Bailey said.

Bailey said that she has experienced first-hand how being involved in the Arts gives youth outlets for self-expression, creates a sense of community for them, and teaches lessons that reinforce those learned within the academic classroom. “I am excited to be joining the Arts Hub and I’m looking forward to helping the Arts Hub grow and move forward by strengthening community partnerships that help us reach even more members of the Waupaca community, especially our youth.”

After graduating with a degree in archaeology, Rachel married her college sweetheart, and Waupaca native, Eric Bailey. They relocated from La Crosse to her hometown area of Lake County, IL, where she worked in the museum education field developing and teaching youth programs.

Bailey began working for the CPMF when it was created to honor her cousin, Christopher Patterson after he was killed while serving with the Indiana National Guard in Afghanistan. The Foundation seeks to honor his legacy by supporting the arts, particularly through the local schools near where Chris grew up, where $21,000 in cash awards have been presented to local high school seniors who participated in the fine arts.

During her time in Illinois, Bailey and her husband had three sons and dreamed of returning to Wisconsin. They were able to make that happen early in the fall when Eric was hired as the Director of the Waupaca Public Library. Bailey said that her family is looking forward to starting this new chapter of their lives here in Eric’s hometown of Waupaca, where they are living in his childhood home. “One of our sons has already started in his father’s footsteps by playing hockey with WAYHA on the same rink that his dad played on from his childhood through his high school years,” Bailey said.

“We are so pleased to have someone of Rachel’s caliber, skills, and passion helping us grow our programs and make the arts more accessible to everyone in our community,” said Arts Hub Chairman Laura Reynolds. A program of the Waupaca Community Arts Board, the Arts Hub is critical to the Arts Board’s mission of creating community through the arts, said WCAB President Marci Reynolds. “We look forward to working with Rachel as she helps us make the Arts Hub what we always have dreamed it could be,” said Marci Reynolds. “We just love her.”

Waupaca Arts Hub Press Release March 2023

The 2022 Red Tie Gala will be held on March 5th, 6-10 pm at the Aquaviva Winery in Maple Park, IL. We are looking forward to holding this event again after the two-year hiatus because of the pandemic. It is sure to be a fantastic evening!! We hope to see you all there! Tickets will go on sale soon.    

Join us as we put the “FUN” back in Fundraising! This is our major fundraiser.  It is a semi-formal, exclusive night and always includes amazing music, food, and auction items. The proceeds from this event go towards funding our yearly Performing Arts Awards.  Currently, we offer these awards at 5 area high schools. Each is a $1000 cash-award given to a graduating senior who has participated in the Performing Arts.  For more information about these awards and how to apply visit our Awards Page. 

Mission BBQ in Downer’s Grove has created a Gold Star Wall. Earlier this month, Christopher’s picture was the first to be added.

If you aren’t familiar with the term Gold Star, it originated during World War I when families would hang a blue star in their window to show that they had a loved one serving in the armed forces. If their family member was wounded the blue star was replaced with a silver one and if they died in service it was replaced with a gold star. The family is referred to as a Gold Star family. You might also see the term used with relationship titles such as Gold Star Mother, Gold Star Father, or Gold Star Siblings. This tradition still continues today.

MISSION BBQ (Downer’s Grove, IL) is one of the sponsors of The SPC Chris Patterson Motorcycle Ride on Saturday, August, 14th, 2021. Other sponsors include Excel Automotive Repair (St. Charles, IL), Gun Barrel Coffee (Batavia, IL), and Fox River Harley-Davidson (St. Charles, IL).

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 developments, our venue has chosen to close after today and has canceled our event. We are looking to reschedule with a tentative date in early May. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience and continued support as we work to reschedule. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact any member of the Board of Directors through either email or the form below. You can also reach out to the Chairman of the Board directly via email

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This year, the Chris Patterson Memorial Foundation is excited to announce our annual Performing Arts Award. This $1000 Award, currently available to graduating senior choir, drama or band members at West Aurora High School in Aurora, IL, will be awarded at Senior Honor night.