NORTHBROOK: What's giving us hope for 2021
Editor’s note: As 2020 finally leaves the building tonight, we thought that, instead of reviewing this genuinely tragic dumpster fire of a year (haven’t we all had enough of that?), maybe it would be best to just look forward to 2021. So we surveyed a cross-section of Glenview and Northbrook residents to find out what inspires them, what they’ve accomplished, how they’ve successfully navigated the pandemic and, perhaps most importantly, what’s giving them hope as we head into the new year.
Sandy Frum
Northbrook village president
Many of my hopes for 2021 feel simple - I'm looking forward to going back to the basics. I hope to gather together in person with my family and friends. I hope to travel again soon. I hope to have more conversations in person than virtually. And while I am enjoying my takeout, I hope to eat at my favorite restaurants.
On the other hand, some of my hopes feel more permanent - that we will remember 2020 and carry with us the (sometimes difficult) lessons we've learned. I'm hopeful that we can continue to prioritize taking care of one another, that we will remember we're better off when we put others' needs before our own and, whether we feel like it or not, that we find something to appreciate every single day.
2020 reminded me that this is one world and we're all dependent upon one another; that despite our differences, we overcome challenges when we pull together. That gives me hope.
Jill Brickman
Northfield Township supervisor; Northfield Township Food Pantry president
In the face of all the challenges the pandemic has imposed on our community, we at Northfield Township have also seen people stepping forward in countless ways to help others.
From hundreds of individual donations to the young boy who shared the money he got from the Easter Bunny so others would have food to the junior high student who published and sold a cookbook for her bat mitzvah project and donated all the proceeds to the pantry, inspiration is everywhere. We have scores of similar stories.
The hundreds of people of all ages who have volunteered their time and energy to serve others provide confidence that we'll get through this. They've worked carefully and safely and with tremendous dedication just because they know their neighbors need help.
Even when things seem bleak, there are good people around us. We have neighbors of all ages and from every background who want to help others. It's easy to have hope in the light of these stories, and to have confidence that our wish for easier times for many in 2021 will come true.
Dale Duda
President and founder, Northbrook Farmers Market; commissioner, Northbrook Environmental Quality Commission
I hope that as we head into 2021 folks will have hope.
Hope that we can heal the fractures in our families, communities, institutions and our politics.
Hope that we can see the value in each and every human being, and of preserving and protecting our environment.
Hope that we can see with open hearts and minds the grace (God's gifts, for those who believe) that is so freely and abundantly given.
Hope that for those of us who survive the pandemic remember, and live the lessons that we have learned.
Hope to all in 2021!
Kathy Fielding
CEO, North Suburban YMCA
2020 wasn't the year any of us expected, yet for all of its loss and heartache, at the North Suburban YMCA we found plenty of reasons to celebrate and remain hopeful for 2021.
They say that people show you who they really are during a crisis, and this year we saw the best in people as they offered their time, money and skills to our 15 North Suburban communities within the Y's service area. Most of the Y's efforts go toward serving others for the greater good, anticipating needs before they arise and creating new programs and services for those that need it most.
This year, we teamed up with several local agencies to ensure that no one who needed our help got left behind:
• Partnered with Hunger Resource Network/Hunger Free Northbrook for our Holiday Giveback initiative by leading a food and gift card donation effort for more than 162 food-insecure families, putting more than $6,000 back into our local businesses and restaurants;
• Donated several thousand face masks to Wheeling School District 21, Curt's Café, The Harbour, Roberti Community House, and the WINGS Program;
• Joined forces with Covenant Living to launch the "Brighten Someone's Day" outreach program, bringing joy to senior residents struggling with isolation;
• Partnered with the Red Cross to host three critical blood drives;
• Collected and distributed electronics so those in need can stay connected virtually; and
• Brought together a team of volunteers and staff to conduct well-being checks on seniors and other community members.
Also notable was that our annual Strong Kids Fundraising Dinner went virtual this year, for a six-day extravaganza, engaging 400 active participants, ensuring that no one gets left behind due to financial difficulties.
This year also introduced new well-being initiatives including the growth of the Y's Adult Education Series, now the most popular adult offering with virtual and live programming; the launch of the Virtual Y, a new membership-only resource that ensures community members can access their favorite classes and programming online; running a successful 2020 day camp season without a single case of COVID-19; and initiating a Remote Learning program for second- to eighth-grade students and special needs students.
We continued to bring the community together by hosting three sold-out drive-in movie nights, sponsored by Sunset Foods, Dairy Queen Northbrook and AmpliVox Sound Systems; holding a live and virtual 5K run; and helped our local art community by hosting a virtual holiday pop-up art sale.
Looking ahead, our 2021 summer camps feature 40 general and special interest camps that promote friendships, confidence and curiosity. Plus the Y's winter offerings include new children's classes and workshops like the "One and Done" art workshops, Mini Movers Dance for ages 3-5, and the "Jokin' Around" Comedy Class for first- through fifth-graders. We also have a virtual Trivia Night and a Family Scavenger Hunt coming soon.
The pandemic slowed the world down, but at the Y, our courage, support and connection through the incredible power of social responsibility has never been stronger.
Through it all, I have been truly humbled by the commitment, passion and hard work of our amazing and tireless Y staff, volunteers, members, donors and the Y Board for creating this truly mission-driven agency. I'm so proud to be a part of this community, and I'm pleased to say that there's so much more to celebrate in 2021!
Elliott Hartstein
Northbrook resident, former Buffalo Grove village president
I am truly hopeful as we embark on the new year. The vaccines give us a ray of hope after more than 300,000 Americans deaths from COVID-19, and when significant numbers have been vaccinated, will allow us all to start living our lives fully and restore confidence to support businesses and help our economy get back on track. I also find hope in new leadership for our nation with Joe Biden as our new president as someone who has true empathy for the American people and a commitment to be a president for all Americans to lead us forward during these challenging times. Most importantly, I find hope in the young people of our nation who I know will truly make a difference as we look forward. Their spirit, their open mindedness, devoid of prejudices, and demonstrated enthusiasm for supporting change will contribute to a better future for all.
Judy Hughes
President, Northbrook Historical Society
There is hope and joy to be found in the simple things when we take a moment to listen, look and open our hearts and minds.
There is the laughter of children, the sound of a bouncing basketball on the sidewalk or the voices of friends and family to cherish.
During winter there is the sound of silence after a newly fallen snow, and the different-sounding crunch of the snow as we walk, depending on the temperature.
In spring comes the early-morning song of a bird and the emergence of plants and trees awakening with multiple shades of green.
Then, completing the yearly cycle, summer comes with garden and prairie flowers of many colors, followed by the glorious colors of fall and the crunch of leaves beneath our feet.
No matter your genre preference, music reaches into the soul and fills it in places we didn't know were empty.
For all its faults, technology and social media can bring us together across the miles. A book club with multiracial and multicultural members in six states sustained me this year. A good book takes us on travels across the world, or into worlds of our choosing. Our first book of 2021 will continue the laughter and learning as we discover our similarities and differences through meaningful discussions.
Learning a new skill, more about family or something we are passionate about widens our view. Zoom calls with family and friends bring laughter and hope.
Supporting our front-line workers, local restaurants and businesses, and young children fundraising for causes they feel will make a difference have demonstrated the inherent goodness of our community. It makes me hopeful for the future when we reach out like this in friendship and solidarity.
Recently, more than a dozen masked neighbors began singing Christmas carols outside my home. Whether listeners or singers, that simple act filled all our hearts with fond memories and joy we can carry into the future.
Finally, I look to an example set in 1892 as neighbors joined forces to build a nondenominational worship center they named Hope Union in what was then a small community called Shermerville.
May Northbrook continue to come together in unity and hope to build an even stronger and better community.
Irv Leavitt
Columnist at Honest Context (http://bit.ly/honestirv); former Pioneer Press reporter covering Northbrook and Glenview, off and on, from 1989 to 2017
I have two hopes for the Glenbrook area for 2021. One is about what gets done and the other is about how it gets done.
I was very pleased as I followed the Northbrook Village Board's two-year journey to an inclusionary - read: "affordable housing" - zoning ordinance, and downright ecstatic when it was passed in December. Now, I want to see the village government and local developers get together to actually build a few affordable units. That might lead to a little diversity in town, a local source of employees and a start to reducing the age of a town that has become one of the oldest in Illinois.
It won't be easy. Northbrook is losing some of its most skillful leaders to retirement: Development/Planning Director Tom Poupard, Village President Sandy Frum, Communications Manager Cheryl Fayne-dePersio and Village Manager Rich Nahrstadt.
There's a nascent grass-roots initiative to encourage the same kind of ordinance in Glenview.
As change comes to the area, I hope it comes willingly and with kindness. The few homeowners who are afraid to take what they think is a risk to the value of their property aren't evil. They're only fearful of losing points on their most important investment.
Tarah O'Connell
Director of communications, Northbrook District 27
2020 - the year we never saw coming, and the one we will never forget.
I know many are eager to put 2020 in the past and are hopeful that 2021 will bring much more joy, myself included. However, as we look toward the new year, I think it is important to reflect on this one ... possibly for closure.
We are living in a global pandemic. Each and every one of us has been affected in some way. I have been amazed with the amount of collaboration that has occurred locally, nationally and globally. Our circles quickly collided because we were all working around the very same core problem. Be it masked and distanced or virtual, I think we all saw a glimpse into each other's lives this year.
Not only did we find greater empathy for one another, this year was an opportunity to get to know ourselves better as well. By living within so many limitations, we quickly identified what we missed most, what brings us joy and what we could live without. We learned where our values lie and what makes us feel most fulfilled.
We aren't out of the woods yet, but there is light at the end of what has been a long, dark tunnel.
My hope is that we can stay the course (we've come this far!), finish what we have been working so hard to do - slow the spread, and bring a sense of gratitude into 2021.
I encourage you to reflect on a few things you are grateful for in this unusual year. Think of it as a way to elbow-bump 2020 goodbye! Perhaps you're grateful for your newfound Zoom skills or the time you have had to slow down and cherish the little things.
I am grateful for my family, our health and personal growth that can only come from being pushed far beyond my comfort zone.
We've got this. Happy New Year!
Mary Patronik
Ad hoc volunteer, Northfield Food Pantry
I've been a resident of Glenview for nearly 20 years, having moved from Chicago with my husband and two sons in search of a place that felt like a good fit. From the beginning, we've experienced a community of empathetic citizens who are graced with good humor and generous hearts.
My years as a leader with District 34 PTAs, the Glenview Education Foundation and Sts. Peter & Paul Sunday school taught me that given the opportunity, our community will show up and support our neighbors in need. When I felt we needed a collective nudge this past spring, I reached out to a handful of compassionate and connected people who could help tackle food insecurity in our township. I challenged several friends and met new ones by asking them to become Neighborhood Food Drive Captains. This team helped raise awareness of hunger in our community while reaching out to their neighbors and friends, helping us all feel a little more linked during these many socially-distanced months.
Thanks to Wendy Ban, Helen Costello, Larissa Gesecki, Mary Hershey, Cathy Freidinger, Kaki Voss, Sue Swaringen, Cheryl Tantillo and Lisa Zimbler, Glenview's empathy and kindness muscles remain strong. They inspired their book clubs, had their kids pull wagons around the block, designated their porches as collection points and even had a signup for drivers to collect from neighbors' houses - delivering thousands of items to the food pantry this year.
I am confident that Glenview's compassion will continue to strengthen in 2021 and I look forward to the days when we will celebrate our community ties in person.
Sarah Sanford
President, Go Green Northbrook
The sun continues to shine.
That gives us life and hope. We are fortunate to have community solar for anyone who lives in a shady home or an apartment. Sign yourself up! When Illinois passes the Clean Energy Jobs Act in 2021, we will have incentives to put solar on our roofs and more folks will get jobs in the clean energy sector.
The sun also nourishes the trees we continue to plant in the village. Go Green Northbrook hopes to plant at least 20 more trees in Northbrook parks.
Our group also encourages our neighbors to plant native plants to replace lawns, reduce plastic waste, recycle properly, reduce energy consumption and enjoy nature. We are hopeful because there is more interest in conservation and sustainability due in part to the urgency of climate change and the priorities of our local government entities.
Our greatest asset is our increasing number of diverse volunteers who give so much to our community. This feels like sunshine.