Partnerships matter. As philanthropic partners, our donors helped us assist more children and adults than ever this past year to further our mission of addressing the unmet needs of our community and expanding opportunities for all Highland Park and Highwood residents.

To make an even greater difference, in 2020 we developed the HPCF Corporate Champion Program with Mesirow as our first Corporate Champion. Making multi-year monetary pledges to support our efforts, Banner Kitchen & Bath, First Bank of Highland Park, and Highland Park Bank & Trust have all recently become HPCF Corporate Champions.

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We extend a virtual hug to thank everyone who has donated to the HPCF this year and, in advance, those who make a donation for the first time or again before the end of the year!

Through our grants, we ensure children and adults have access to the critical services they need and expand opportunities for all Highland Park and Highwood residents.

Among other things, in this past year, we have made it possible for

• children to have food on the weekend
• victims of domestic violence and their children to be safely sheltered
• adults and children to receive essential legal and mental health services

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This honor comes at the perfect time for the HPCF. We will continue to help victims through the July 4th Fund we established and the second Fund we will open when the July 4th Fund closes. At the same time, however, we need to nourish our organization’s roots of granting money to nonprofits that provide educational, social service, and cultural programs for Highland Park and Highwood residents.

Over its 12-year history, The Great Highwood Pumpkin Fest has raised tens of thousands of dollars for local nonprofits. We are excited about partnering with Celebrate Highwood to create its most successful event yet!

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“A magical unicorn kind of person”
“A superhero”

Words parents use to describe Mirela when reflecting on her impact on their children.

The Highland Park Community Foundation is thrilled to recognize Mirela Vesa as the 2023 recipient of the HPCF Golden Apple Award!

In 2010, the Highland Park Community Foundation established the HPCF Golden Apple Award 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 pre-K through 5th-grade teachers.

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2024 has barely started and we have so much to share!

• New Leadership
• Annual Grant Recipient Highlights
• MLK Day of Service Project

We are excited to announce that at our final meeting in December, Laurie Levin and Eric Ephraim were elected Chair and Vice-Chair of the HPCF Board! We are so grateful to Betsy Brint for her two years of dedicated leadership, which brought the Foundation to new levels of success, and are delighted she will remain an active member of the Board.

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As a Community Health Ambassador, we wanted to share some important news.

All 65+ seniors and select frontline essential workers (Postal Service, Shelters, Corrections, Public Transportation, Grocery Stores, Adult Day Care, Educators, Day Care, Food Production/Manufacturing) are now eligible to schedule an appointment in AllVax, Lake County’s portal for vaccination registration and appointments.

Other frontline essential workers (manufacturing, other) will be made eligible in the coming days.

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Some say it takes a village. We say it takes a community.

Caring about neighbors
Opening your eyes and heart
Mobilizing to change the status quo
Making monetary gifts to address needs
Understanding every gift matters
Nurturing children
Improving lives
Taking action now
You will make a difference!

As you think about all you are thankful for this Thanksgiving, please help those who struggle…

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After Having to Take Two Years Off, We Were Finally Able to Gather Once Again, and Boy Did It Feel Good!

Thank you to everyone who joined us as we Gathered for Good at Binny’s this past Friday or who supported our event through a sponsorship, raffle ticket purchase, or donation.

We feasted, sipped, and celebrated all the good in our community (as well as some winning numbers!). We also honored Nancy Mills for her exceptional service to our community and beyond.

Funds raised from the event will support our 2022 annual grants for which we have received close to $975,000 in requests. It’s not too late to help us make a difference in the lives of children and adults throughout Highland Park and Highwood.

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Last month, we introduced you to 5 of our incredible Human Services grant recipients. This month – and each month moving forward – we will highlight the tremendous work of other grantees. Your generosity makes their life-changing work possible.

We proudly share that Josselyn was recently awarded Agency Partner of the Year by Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work.

Josselyn is committed to providing resources for equitable healthcare, regardless of income or location, and recently introduced a model where current employees working toward their MSW are able to simultaneously complete an internship at Josselyn.

Read more about Josselyn’s award and its services HERE.

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