HP_092718

12 | September 27, 2018 | The highland park landmark news
hplandmark.com
Gather for Good charity event raises funds for HPCF
Hilary Anderson
Freelance Reporter
The evening was an
amazing coming together
for good.
It was the Highland
Park Community Foundation
(HPCF) first Annual
Gather for Good Celebration,
Sept. 14 at Highland
Park’s Binny’s Beverage
Depot.
About 300 Highland
Park and Highwood residents,
business owners
civic leaders and other
HPCF supporters gathered
together for an evening of
fun, food and socializing
while raising money for the
foundation. HPCF helps
address the unmet needs of
many Highland Park and
Highwood residents by giving
grants to local nonprofit
organizations that provide
social services, educational
programs and cultural art
enrichment.
Ten percent of all purchases
at Binney’s during
the evening benefited
HPCF.
Guests at the celebration
enjoyed food demonstrations
courtesy of local
chefs. No one could have
gone home hungry.
WLIT radio show host
Melissa Forman emceed
the event.
“We were blown away
by the many people who
came to support the foundation,
its work and give
back to their community,”
said Nancy Miller, foundation
chairperson-HPCF.
“There are increasing
economic circumstances
that affect many residents
in the Highland Park and
Highwood communities
who need the help of our
local nonprofit organizations,
which are being
stretched thin as a result.”
Highland Park Councilwoman
Alyssa Knobel
The co-chair of Gather for Good, Betsy Brint (left)
poses with Highland Park Councilwoman Alyssa Knobel
(center), the recipient of the Jack Blane Community
Service Award and Nancy Mills (right), the chair of the
Highland Park Community Foundation at Gather For
Good, Sept. 14. Photo submitted
received the annual Jack
Blane Community Service
Award for her dedication
to the community
and active participation in
numerous civic and charitable
organizations.
“I always felt it was
my obligation to be involved
in the activities of
my community and give
back to the place (Highland
Park) that has given
me so much,” Knobel said.
“I like the idea of giving
to the Foundation (HPCF)
because it takes the guesswork
out of making sure no
one in the community gets
left behind in their time of
need. The Foundation is
there to help our neighbors
through the community’s
local nonprofits.”
The HPCF was established
in 1992 at the request
of the City of Highland
Park to provide a
safety net for agencies and
organizations that provide
programs and services for
Highland Park and Highwood
residents. The purpose
was to improve and
enrich people’s lives with
annual grants to nonprofit
agencies that operate locally.
“The Highland Park
Community Foundation is
an absolutely vital resource
for our Highland Park and
Highwood communities,”
said Highland Park Mayor
Nancy Rotering. “It helps
a broad spectrum of nonprofit
agencies in our own
backyard. We must help it
continue to grow. We must
take care of our own.”
The HPCF has quietly
been giving grants to these
agencies for more than 20
years since then according
to Miller.
“We have been doing it
with an endowment and a
small group of people who
have donated money to
support many of these local
nonprofits,” sad Miller.
“The needs of many Highland
Park and Highwood
residents are growing,
particularly in certain areas
like mental health, as
are the requests for grants
from local nonprofits to
help them. The dollars unfortunately
are decreasing.
Government funding is
dwindling.”
“Last year we gave out
35 grants totaling nearly
$183,000,” said Betsy
Brint, HPCF co-chair.
“The number of grant requests
increased and the
dollars we were able to
give out increased; however,
we were not able to
meet all the requests. We
need to raise more funds.
We hope we will surpass
our goal of $100,000 at
tonight’s Celebration.”
Robyn Schuster is the
other co-chair of the event.
“I got involved because
I wanted to give back
where we live,” Schuster
said. “I discovered the
broad impact HPCF has
on the community. Each
board member is assigned
to a group of nonprofits,
educates them on certain
aspects that would be helpful
and also serves as a resource.
I like the way the
foundation gets personally
involved.”
Schuster currently
serves as the CFO of the
National Immigration Justice
Center.
“I live every day knowing
first hand how much
financial help nonprofits
need serving others,”
Schuster said.
Each HPCF board member
had heartfelt stories
about how local Highland
Park and Highwood residents
were helped because
of grants to local nonprofits.
“Food insecurity is a reality
often overlooked in
Highland Park and Highwood,”
Brint said. “Two
organizations we fund are
Blessings in a Backpack
and the Northern Illinois
Food Bank. Blessings in
a Backpack ensures children
have food when they
go home from school over
the weekend. The Northern
Illinois Food Bank,
serves as a mobile food
pantry to Highland Park
and Highwood residents
out of the Highwood
Recreation Center. HPCF
board members, staff and
I volunteer to help set up
and distribute the food to
residents. This is a true
neighbor to neighbor effort
helping ensure families
in our community
have nutritious food readily
available.”
Brint continued that
HPCF funds Southeast
Faith in Action of Southeast
Lake County that provides
rides for seniors so they
can go to and from medical
appointments, social activities
and the grocery store
on a weekly basis.
“Providing transportation
also gives seniors
someone with whom to
talk,” Brint said. “We fund
many scholarships for day
care/nursery schools for
children of low income
families in Highland Park/
Highwood. This serves
a dual purpose. It allows
parents to work and gives
young children the birth
to three the education to
prepare them for school.
Those early education
years have been proven
to be vital toward success
in later years. The HPFC
funds programs in the arts
also proven to improve
graduation rates in low income
students.”
The purpose of the event,
Gather for Good Celebration
similarly served to
promote philanthropy in
the local community.
“Many people do not
give locally,” said Terri
Olian, executive director-
HPCF. “This is an opportunity
to remind residents
there are needs where they
live. We ask they consider
giving locally along with
whatever other organizations
they may want. There
are needs here.”
“We also are aware some
Highland Park families
have their own foundations,”
said Deobrah Brill,
HPCF administrator. “We
hope they will consider
giving a portion of the five
percent they are required to
donate each year to HPCF
to help those nonprofits in
their own community. Give
where you live.”
Labor of love
Adrienne Aaronson, an artist from Highland Park, is pictured
in front of her artwork Sept. 7 at North Shore Art
League’s 94th Annual Benefit and Members Art Show.
Jill Dunbar/22nd century media