Welcome to the fifth edition of your Community Catch Up.

We are honored to highlight our amazing grantees and hope you find our More to Catch Up On section to be a helpful resource for important announcements and impactful opportunities.

Enjoy these final weeks of summer, and thank you again for your continued support!

North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic (NSLAC) provides accessible, quality, equitable, and free legal services in the areas of domestic violence, immigration, and housing to give low-income, at risk community members access to justice and the chance to live productive and secure lives.

Mother’s Trust Foundation (MTF) provides immediate assistance during times of crisis to low-income children living in Lake County. The agency works closely with social workers and school counselors, who identify children in need, to provide necessary support to families who have nowhere else to turn.

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• 13 businesses have made 5-year pledges to help further our mission.
• 33 businesses provided gift items for our Gather for Good event raffle last fall, which made it our most successful raffle yet, and 48 businesses supported our event as Corporate Sponsors.
• 2 businesses, Judy’s Pizza and Lynfred Winery, have both chosen to benefit the HPCF this year through special month-long promotions.

These partnerships provide critical funding for programs and services that address the needs of Highland Park and Highwood residents.

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Following last month’s exciting announcement, we’re proud to introduce two more outstanding businesses to our growing list of Corporate Champions:

Menoni & Mocogni, Inc.
Scott Byron & Co.

With their generous multi-year pledges, Menoni & Mocogni, Inc., and Scott Byron & Co. are playing a key role in supporting our efforts to strengthen and enrich the Highland Park–Highwood community. We are most grateful for their commitment and partnership as we continue to make a meaningful difference for children and adults.

Scott Byron & Co. is a leading Chicago-area landscape design, construction, and maintenance firm. Since 1983, the company has created elegant outdoor environments for residential and commercial properties that blend art with nature, using the highest quality trees, plants, and other materials. From contemporary urban rooftops to formal gardens and classic backyard terraces with outdoor kitchens, their landscapes invite interaction with nature, relaxation, and enjoyment. With a team of expert designers, horticulturists, and artisans, they are committed to excellence, creativity, and client satisfaction—transforming visions into lasting, thriving outdoor spaces.

Menoni & Mocogni, Highland Park’s oldest family-owned business, has served the community for over 100 years. Originally delivering goods by horse and selling coal to heat residents’ homes, the company has built a proud legacy of providing top-quality services and materials for landscape architects, contractors, municipalities, and dedicated do-it-yourselfers—six days a week, rain or shine. The gates to the yard have been opened many times in the middle of the night, giving Public Works staff access to essential materials needed to repair broken water mains or respond to natural disasters.

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Michael Rosengarden, owner of Autohaus on Edens, and Alyssa Knobel, marketing professional and former City of Highland Park Councilman, have had very different career paths. For both of them, however, helping others has always been an integral part of their lives.

Both also fully embrace the HPCF’s “Give Where You Live” philosophy. Please join us in welcoming our newest Corporate Champion, Autohaus on Edens, and our newest Board member, Alyssa Knobel, to the HPCF team!

We are delighted they have chosen to help advance our mission to address unmet needs and enrich residents’ lives!

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Thirty years ago to the day, the Highland Park Community Foundation was incorporated. We are humbled to have served our community for the past three decades and look forward to serving our community for decades more.

Wally Nathan, Peter Flanzer, Nancy Mills, David Reich, and Betsy Brint have served as our Board Chairs since our 20th anniversary. We are incredibly grateful for their leadership, under which we have seen tremendous growth – in our endowment, annual and multi-year donations, grant funding, Boards, and community support.

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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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