Together Highland Park Unidos, established by the HPCF to manage the distribution process for donations made to the July 4th Highland Park Shooting Response Fund, has announced the Fund raised a total of $5.8 million and has distributed 100% of those funds to victims of the mass shooting and nonprofit organizations providing mental health and other services for victims and community members impacted by the shooting.

The funds were distributed according to the Committee’s Final Protocol. The individual claims process was managed by the Fund’s Co-Administrators Bruce Boyd and Eric Kessler. The grantmaking process for organizations was managed through the Highland Park Community Foundation.

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By now, you should have received your invitation to Gather for Good – our signature and only annual fundraiser – a very special night of impact.

In case you have not, below you will find all the details, which we hope you will share with relatives, friends, neighbors, and colleagues!

We look forward to coming together in support of the Highland Park-Highwood community!

Binny’s Beverage Depot
153 Skokie Valley Road, Highland Park
6:30 – 9:00 PM

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Thanks to your support, the grants we provided in 2023 helped thousands of children and adults. Click on the image below to see the impact you made by supporting our efforts to expand opportunities for Highland Park and Highwood residents and address unmet needs.

A Safe Place (ASP) serves victims of domestic violence and human trafficking, and their children, who need counseling, legal advocacy, safe housing, and other supportive services. We proudly share the following success story about a client from our community. The client went to ASP feeling uncertain about her recent separation and co-parenting with her ex-partner. She was in the beginning stages of post-separation and used her therapy process to identify ways her abuser continued to exert control. With ASP’s help, she obtained a formal custody agreement. She also opened up about her needs and was able, also with ASP’s help, to get stable housing, furniture, and clothing for herself and her children. Her youngest child, who witnessed much of the DV, also received services that resulted in improved behaviors and emotional regulation.

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As media reports highlight and as we’re hearing directly from HPCF grantees, many of the organizations we support are navigating an increasingly uncertain funding landscape.

The importance of our grants has never been clearer. With significant volatility at both the federal and state levels, the nonprofits we support face significant gaps in funding needed to sustain the vital programs and services they provide for residents. With your support, we can help fill these gaps and minimize interruptions to the essential services and programs so many people in our community depend on.

In the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing our 2025 Impact Report, which will highlight the tangible difference your contributions make. Keep an eye on your mailbox and email—we look forward to showing you the power of giving in action.

Thank you for standing with us to support those in need. Together, we improve lives.

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In 2018, the Highland Park Community Foundation established the Personal Achievement Award to honor a Highland Park High School senior for significant personal achievement. The award recognizes a student who, among other things:

• Demonstrates a genuine commitment to persevere despite obstacles or personal challenges;
• Sets personal goals and challenges him/herself to achieve them;
• Thrives in the school environment;
• Works hard and is a positive influence; and
• Shows appreciation for the help he/she receives.

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Our Corporate Champion Program Continues to Grow.

We are delighted to share that Mariani Landscape has joined our growing list of Corporate Champions. We look forward to visiting their new Design Center, which is opening in downtown Highland Park in early May, and hope you will stop by, too.

Mariani’s Corporate Champion pledge will provide monetary resources needed to support HPCF’s mission to address unmet needs and expand opportunities for all Highland Park and Highwood residents now and in perpetuity.

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To all our supporters: We join you at this time of giving thanks for touching lives in so many ways.

For Thirty years, you have Helped us Address Needs of our community, fostering Kindness and compassion to Seniors and children alike. We are extremely Grateful to all of you – the Individuals, families, businesses & foundations that provide Vital resources to Improve the lives of children and adults Now and in perpetuity. Thank you for Genuinely caring about your neighbors.

We wish all of you and your families a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

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Alvin H. Baum Family Fund

Modeled on the successful Corporate Champion Program we launched in 2020, the Highland Park Community Foundation has launched a Foundation Champion Program to provide the opportunity for private foundations to become our philanthropic partners.

The Alvin H. Baum Family Fund has signed on as HPCF’s first Foundation Champion. Making a five-year commitment at the Platinum level, the Baum Family Fund has generously provided a $20,000/year financial commitment to support the HPCF in addressing unmet needs of the community and expanding opportunities for all Highland Park and Highwood residents.

We are most grateful to the Baum Fund for leading the way and look forward to other foundations adding their support!

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“When a teacher believes in you like Sarah does – she’s like a Mary Poppins. She magically makes it happen.” HPHS parent

We are thrilled to recognize Sarah Douglas as the 2024 recipient of the HPCF Golden Apple Award!

Highland Park Community Foundation established the HPCF Golden Apple Award in 2010 to honor outstanding teachers in the Highland Park public schools. The award rotates among the elementary, middle school, and high school levels of teaching. This year, nominations were accepted for full-time HPHS teachers.

Sarah teaches physical education, adaptive physical education, team sports, and traffic safety for grades 9-12. She is a general education teacher who has stepped into the role that is usually expected of a special education teacher, serving as an inclusion and modification specialist. She not only promotes inclusion but fosters it in a way that helps students accept inclusion as the norm. It is rare for a teacher to be equally valued by all the demographics of a school in the way that Sarah is respected. Sarah has made a tangible, concrete, and lasting impact on the Highland Park High School community. She is a teacher who connects with all her students, motivates them to try and learn new things, generates confidence, inspires them to be better people, and supports them through that process.

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