Highland Park Community Foundation Honors Cookie Anspach Kohn with the Jack Blane Community Service Award
The Highland Park Community Foundation (HPCF) recognized Cookie Anspach Kohn with the 2020 Jack Blane Community Service Award.
"We are thrilled to honor Cookie with the annual Jack Blane Community Service Award," said David Reich, HPCF chairman. "Her dedication to service within our community along with her selfless efforts to improve the lives of others are inspiring and truly embody the spirit of this award."
"To be recognized as this year's Jack Blane Community Service Award recipient is an honor," said Cookie Kohn. "I am extremely grateful to Jack Blane for his leadership and generosity and the friendship we shared. I am also so grateful to serve as a Highland Park Community Foundation Board member. I have learned so much from the organizations that provide critically needed services for Highland Park and Highwood residents."
Cookie Kohn, a Highland Park Community Foundation Board member since 2005 and chair of the HPCF Nominating Committee also serves on the Foundation's Executive Committee. Ms. Kohn joined and has continued to serve on the Board because of the alignment between the goals of the Foundation and what matters most to her. Dedicated to community service, she has also generously volunteered her time and expertise serving on numerous local boards including Highland Park Community Early Learning Center, Tri-Con Child Care Center, and two Highland Park School Districts (107 and 113).
Born and raised in Highland Park, Ms. Kohn attended Highland Park High School, graduated from Duke University with a Bachelor of Arts in history, and later earned a Master's in Educational Administration from Northwestern University. A former teacher, Cookie is now co-director with her husband, Henry, of Valerie Wilson Travel, Inc., Highland Park. She credits her parents Carolyn and Herman Anspach for their example of community service, which is shared by Henry, their two sons and daughters-in-law, and four grandchildren.
The annual Jack Blane Community Service Award, launched in 2014, honors the memory of Jack Blane and his exemplary work within the community. A founding member and previous Chairman of the HPCF, Mr. Blane's commitment to serving others extended to all aspects of his life. Mr. Blane served his country as a Marine. He also benefited his local community by offering humanitarian services as a Rotarian and by serving as a Councilman for the City of Highland Park. To learn more about the Jack Blane Community Service Award visit: https://hpcfil.org/jack-blane-community-service-award.
To learn more about the Highland Park Community Foundation and its work, please visit: https://hpcfil.org/.
About Highland Park Community Foundation: The Highland Park Community Foundation was established in 1992 at the request of the City of Highland Park to build and maintain a permanent endowment fund. As the philanthropic heart of the community, the HPCF improves and enriches people's lives with annual grants to nonprofits that provide educational, social service, and cultural programs for Highland Park and Highwood residents. The Foundation's avowed purposes are to expand opportunities and address the unmet needs of the community - needs that are not met by governmental or other sources.