Janet Poor Turns Passion for Plants into Mission

Until she was 40, Janet Meakin Poor played a lot of tennis and always had a project going with her children’s schools, the Junior League or her beloved Garden Club of America Winnetka Chapter. At 40, however, Poor switched gears and decided to pursue her passion for plants in earnest. She cobbled together a landscape […]

Want Change? Petition!

What’s a girl to do? The street needs repairing.The guy next door, who never wears a shirt and should, has ruined the neighborhood with that ugly fence.That new village ordinance prohibiting dogs who bark is outrageous.We need a “Stop” sign at that corner! The school board is doing what?!?

Renae Charalab is an Inspiring Friend

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 […]

Marcia Doniger Tackles Taboo, Rallies Community

“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 […]

Karen Donnan is a Stellar Volunteer and Fundraiser

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 […]

Judith Joslyn Hughes Keeps Northbrook's History Alive

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 […]

Giving Back is Music to Emily Knight’s Ears

“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 […]

Connie Falcone Takes 'Soccer Mom' to a Higher Level

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 […]