Lake County's Leading Women's Affinity Group Hosts Annual Golf Outing
Vernon Hills (August 2017) - United Way of Lake County's Women's Leadership Council (WLC) held its second Play A-Round for Kids golf outing on August 7, 2017 at White Deer Run in Vernon Hills. The event raised $8,500 for WLC's Little Kids, Big Futures Philanthropy Fund. The fund is the philanthropic arm of WLC, making grants to early childhood literacy programs in Lake County.
This year, WLC granted $100,000 to support seven critical childhood literacy programs. that will ensure a strong foundation for children living in Lake County's most vulnerable communities. As of 2014, $225,000 has been invested in Lake County's most vulnerable communities.
Event chair Judy Kotsiopoulos stated, "This year's event was even better and raised more money than last year. Not only did we have more sponsors and golfers, but we also added the Helicopter Ball Drop Raffle. It was great fun to watch 100 balls drop from the sky to see who was the lucky 50/50 raffle winner. Even more exciting was knowing that additional funds for literacy programming could be offered because of this wonderful day!"
Fifty-five golfers participated in this event. The winning team was comprised of Brian Fisher, Tom Grammatis, Ed Prystalski, and David Shane. A new feature to this year's golf outing was a Hometown Hero award, acknowledging a man and woman who have made extraordinary contributions to children's literacy through programming, volunteering, or humanitarian services. It was created to acknowledge those whose passion mirror the WLC's commitment to early childhood literacy. Martina Rocha of Round Lake Beach and Harold Rollins, Jr. were the winners. Also nominated were: Evetta Barrett of North Chicago, Melissa Langevin of Lake Villa, Kathy McFarland of Lake Forest, Lori Reszel Miller of Libertyville, Grace Robinson of Waukegan, and Matthew Thornton of Zion.
Event sponsors included Packaging Corporation of America as the Eagle Sponsor, Rosen Hyundai, Berliant Builders, Inc., Clarke Environmental Mosquito Management, Inc., Clarke Aquatic Services, Inc., Buffalo Wild Wings and Chicago Woodfire Pizza Co., Hole sponsors included the Dickstein Family, Hollister Incorporated, Lake County State's Attorney Mike Nerheim, Schwartz Family, Taylor Enterprises, Tyhurst Family and UBS. "We greatly appreciate all of our sponsors," Kotsiopoulos stated.
If you are interested in learning more about Women's Leadership Council, please contact Diana Nielander, Affinity Group and Social Enterprise Manager at United Way of Lake County at diana.nielander@uwlakeco.org.
About Women's Leadership Council:
The Women's Leadership Council of United Way of Lake County is a group of 90+ women bound together with a common commitment to making a difference through philanthropy, leadership and volunteerism. They use the power of their time, talent and resources to ensure children are prepared for kindergarten and ready to succeed by raising funds and investing in early childhood literacy programs. Together, they create a powerful, passionate network of women who support one another, have fun and strengthen our community.
For more information, visit www.LIVEUNITEDlakecounty.org/womensleadershipcouncil.
About United Way of Lake County:
United Way of Lake County (UWLC) is preparing our children to succeed in a changing world by focusing on education and building safe and stable families. Working with nonprofit agencies and community partners, we have identified four key programs to prepare children to succeed: Success By 6 Program - prepare for kindergarten; Reading Success Program - read at grade level; Stay in School Program - graduate high school; Safe and Stable Families Program - empowering families. UWLC is overcoming reading and educational barriers by reaching children, from preschool through high school, through these key programs. The overall effect and benefits are multiplied by the strong collaboration with agencies and our community partners. For more information, visit www.LIVEUNITEDlakecounty.org.