My friend grimaced throughout our lunch. “That birthday party was too much,” she complained as her fork poked at her salad. “The hosts aimed for ‘magical,’ but overshot it by tens of thousands of gaudy dollars.”
Excess seemed to permeate much of our conversation, including her description of Aspen’s finest jewelers, furriers and late-night salons. (Skiing wasn’t even mentioned in passing.) But the 2-week British Isles hunting party trumped it all. Every day, in shopping triumph, the trophy wives bagged luxury goods while their husbands bagged trophy fowl.
I confess to more than a twinge of envy that I hadn’t been invited to the spectacles of consumption she described. I do love a good party. But I wasn’t envious of their empty and flat effect on my friend as she talked. One hour later, I met Wilmette’s Beth Drucker to discuss her most recent volunteer creation—an outdoor classroom at the Wilmette Junior High School—and was immediately struck by the contrast.
Drucker radiated passion and energy; her enthusiasm was contagious. And this time, the conversation was about giving rather than getting. It occurred to me that perhaps the most important jewels of the North Shore are the people that Make It Better and the places and opportunities to do so.
In partnership with her friend, Therese Heyek, Drucker transformed an unused, overgrown courtyard into a beautiful, ecologically wise space landscaped to attract birds and enhance curricula at the school. The stone council ring at the center encourages class conversations and traits rarely found among 12- to 14-year-olds: serenity and equality.
Not only does Drucker spearhead landscape projects wherever space and funding allow, she also volunteers her time and talents in other capacities whenever she sees need and opportunity.
Drucker is a “Local Treasure.” My hometown is a better place because of her. Her efforts enrich the thousands of children who will use those outdoor classrooms, and her example inspires other adults to action.
Fortunately, many Local Treasures live, work or exist on the North Shore, with enough “Make It Better” energy to remind me, and hopefully others, not to be swayed too far from a meaningful life by the affluence and materialism that surround us.
Make It Better wants to recognize and celebrate your “Local Treasures”—the people, places or opportunities that enhance your life, family or community. As examples, and to stimulate your thinking, I commend several others that I consider to be “Local Treasures.”
Rev. Gil Bowen, of Kenilworth Union Church, tops my list. He lives and tells profound truths with humor and elegant simplicity. Families that eat together, stay together. Sing—music touches your soul. Bad things happen, not God’s doing, but he can help you find joy in the middle of those troubles. I’m a better person, wife, mother, friend, volunteer and writer because of Bowen’s influence.
New Trier High School freshman campus principal Jan Borja leads with her heart. She passionately wants every one of her more than 1,000 students to connect with their school, academically, socially and emotionally—a Herculean concept. This permeates her communications, decisions, faculty development and campus climate. And her efforts work. New Trier’s freshmen—and their anxious parents—love their year at Borja’s campus
Small, faded red letters on the side of nondescript buildings in Wilmette alleys are the only signage for my husband’s pragmatic selection, Daniels Auto Body. (This is not just a “Local Treasure,” it’s a hidden treasure, too.) Soft-spoken owner Marvin Daniels does good work for exactly how much and in the length of time he estimates—and it’s always cheaper and faster than the dealers. Daniels’ father founded the 60-year-old business. But it won’t be passed on to the third generation because its success allowed Daniels to put his two children through law school. Daniels Auto Body is particularly a “Local Treasure” for families with many children who become new, and less-than-perfect, drivers—like mine.
Make It Better hopes that you have your own “Local Treasures” and that you want to share them. If so, please write and tell us about them, including a brief description and their contact information. Photographs are welcome. Your “Local Treasures” will be notified, posted for posterity on MakeItBetter.net and possibly featured in a future column.
