Riv Lynch of Highland Park keeps an elaborate list of top 100 things to do in her lifetime. It’s divided into categories, such as “Professional,” “Physical” and “Travel.” At 40 in 2008, she thought “take a ballet class” was one goal that would be deferred indefinitely … As it turns out, Lynch did learn how […]
Denise Kaplan of Northbrook calls her best friend Renae Charalab “the most amazing person I have ever known.” Kaplan, through her own experiences, saw the need to support families touched by biological brain disorders such as: anxiety, ADHD, depression,and bipolar disorder. Unfortunately, there is no “cure” or clear “treatment path” for these disorders; as a […]
Nancy Behles, who teaches primarily 3rd through 5th graders at the North Shore Art League, is one of the North Shore’s most dedicated art educators. Jason Miklik of Wilmette, who also teaches at the North Shore Art League, calls Behles “a teacher of genius.” “The sound basis of Nancy’s approach in education lays an empowering […]
“It’s wonderful to watch something snowball out of your passion,” declares Marcia Donager, at the beginning of our interview. “And Northbrook Citizens For Drug And Alcohol Awareness [NCDAA] is my passion.” With her lively grey-green eyes, short silver hair and flawless skin, the petite and stylish Donager makes following a passion look good. She discusses […]
Since moving to the Chicago area from her native Canada in the 1990s, Karen Donnan has been deeply involved in the Wilmette community. “They say it takes a village to raise a child. But it takes amazing women to make that village flourish. Karen Donnan is one of those amazing women,” says her friend Peggy […]
Do you know the history of your North Shore village? Well, the next generation of Northbrook residents surely will, thanks to Judith Joslyn Hughes, who has been president of the Northbrook Historical Society and the Northbrook History Museum for the last 10 years. Hughes co-authored a book on Northbrook history that was published by Arcadia […]
“It’s like going to heaven,” Emily Knight says of lying in the grass and listening to a musical performance at Ravinia. Most of us know the feeling. But Knight’s work as one of Ravinia’s trustees and the past president of the Women’s Board is not only about preserving Bach, Brahms and Gershwin for us but […]
Update: Connie Falcone is now the Director of Community Affairs for the Chicago Cubs. Learn more here. Connie Falcone of Wilmette is far from your average soccer mom. As director of development and finance for Urban Initiatives, a nonprofit that provides after-school soccer and nutrition education to children in numerous underserved Chicago public schools, Falcone organized […]
For the last 20 years, Carlie Miklik, owner and sole proprietor of the Wilmette Voice Studio, has shared her love of music with children and adults from across the North Shore, giving them the courage to sing—and often helping them win parts in school and community shows. “I learned to sing before I learned to […]
For one thing, the self-proclaimed “passionate environmentalist” is an avid biker, and her three children have biked, walked or longboarded (a skateboard meant for riding, not tricks) to school for years now, and Drucker worked hard to make this possible. When the New Trier West campus opened eight years ago, there was no safe bike […]
