Lake County Gazette

City of Highland Park Sister Cities Foundation met April 18.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

Directors Present: Carol Wolfe, Rick Wolfe, Abby Block, Larry Block, Phil Bettiker, Trudy Bettiker Matt Pestine, Jamie Pestine, Lori Wyatt, Luis Gonzalez, Nancy Richman, Sandy Richman, Julie Gordon, Gail Guggenheim, Carole Schmarak, Marcia Rosenbaum, Cheryl Levi, Rene Nissim

Directors Absent: Wendy Lipsman, Rhoda Pierce, Holly Kerr, Zdenka Samson, Joe Adler Student Liaisons Absent: Eliana Daugherty, Sara Steinmeyer, Tatum Rosenblatt Guests: Silvia Rota, Alex Gordon

Council Liaison: Andrés Tapia

I. President, Carol Wolfe, called the meeting to order at 7:02 PM.

II. On motion by Marcia, and seconded by Rick, the March 2022 minutes were approved with one correction. The March minutes referenced Teresa Frega; the correct name is Cristina Frega.

III. Treasurer, Nancy Richman, provided the Treasurer’s Report.

IV. Sister Cities Mural

• The video Nicholas Glenn, Communications Director for District 112, created about Javier Niño and the making of the mural is complete and was shared on social media. The Director of the Puerto Vallarta Art Museum will be sharing the video at the museum in September when they celebrate Javier’s birthday.

• Wendy recreated the scrapbook of the Making of the Mural and the Foundation gifted it to Northwood School where it will be available for students to view in the school library.

• Dr. Martinez, Northwood Principal, interviewed Javier on Zoom. He shared that video with the Spanish and Dual Language classes.

V. The Lot

• Carol thanked Abby, Larry, Rick, Matt, Lori, Nancy, Luis, Julie and Rhoda, the Advisory Committee tasked with exploring our Foundation’s participation in The Lot.

• The group met several times and has made the following recommendation:

• We propose to set up a Sister Cities informational table on The Lot near the Bocce Court on either August 2nd or 9th.

• The Strings Trio will perform weather permitting.

• On our informational table, we will have two large plush whales which will be prizes for a Draw the Whale contest.

• Parents will take their children to Sister Cities Park to draw the whale and then return to The Lot to submit their drawings.

• There will be two or three age group categories and the whales will be the prizes. Details to be determined.

• Julie will chair this event and share our proposal with the organizers.

• In addition to the Take Out/Come out and Play at the Lot on Tuesdays, a World Music Fest is being planned for July 16. We will connect Larry to the organizers of the event to explore the possibility of having the Strings participate in that event.

VI. Collaboration with the Highwood and Highland Park Libraries • Nancy reported on the Day of the Child event that our Foundation is sponsoring in conjunction with the Highland Park Library, the Highwood Library, Working Together, and Family Services of Lake County.

• The event will take place at the Highland Park Library on April 30 between 1:30 and 3:30.

• School District 112 will provide busses that will shuttle people to and from the Highwood Library to the Highland Park Library.

• We need volunteers for the following:

• 2 people for a Sister Cities information table in the Lobby

• 1 person for an art project sponsored by the Art Center

• 1 person for a llama sun catcher craft

• 1 person for a chalk drawing craft-outdoors

• 1 person for a Story Walk in the Rose Garden-outdoors

• 2 people to help with parking

• The people setting up the table need to be at the Library at 1:00.

• All other volunteers are requested to be at the Library at 12:45

• After the craft projects, there will be a presentation of Folkloric dancing.

• At the end of the event, children will stop at out table and receive a gift. There will also be a Mother’s Day event for children at the Library on May 7. Volunteers may be needed to help children make tissue flowers for their moms.

VII. Casa de Isaac Fundraiser-Lori and Cheryl

• Lori and Cheryl met with Isaac Nava of Casa de Isaac about a fundraising event for the Highland Park/Puerto Vallarta Cultural Center.

• We will hold a private dinner on May 24 at the Highwood Restaurant.

• The Casa de Isaac Deli in Highwood has been expanded and there is a dining room that accommodates 50 people.

• There is room for 50 people. We will ask that people make reservations in advance. People will order from the menu and Isaac will donate 20% of the proceeds to our Foundation.

• Carol will schedule a Zoom meeting to discuss the details.

VIII. Puerto Vallarta

• Chef Exchange-Chef Hugo Chavez will be the guest chef at Carlos Gaytan’s Tzuco restaurant in Chicago on July 11.

• The Foundation is working to bring Chef Hugo to Highland Park for an event on either July 12th or 23th to raise money for the Highland Park/Puerto Vallarta House of Culture.

• Carol thanked Andrés for his help connecting us with the Diver Cantina in town. Carol wrote a letter asking to meet with to discuss options for an event and is waiting for a reply.

• Many other ideas for a venue were suggested.

• A committee will be formed to determine the details of the event.

• Highwood Library/Puerto Vallarta Collaboration

• Luis reported that the classes are continuing and expanding into other areas.

• Aurora is teaching English classes to people in Puerto Vallarta.

• There will be a Facebook Live class available as a part of a continuing education series.

• Updates-Rick

• There is interest in PV to pursue Clean Water discussions with Dave Miller, North Shore Reclamation District, and the head of the water department in PV.

• The children from the DesembocARTE Children’s Art Program are working on pieces they will exhibit at an Art Fair of their work at Café des Artistes.

• The House of Culture will be built using green technology.

Paula, PV Sister Cities President, will be meeting next week with donors. The first stone will be laid soon and construction will begin.

• The Adult Literacy Program is expanding into other areas. The Los Mangos Library is now providing space for classes.

• Corazon de Niña

• Phil reported that Corazon is celebrating its 10 year anniversary.

• There are currently 95 children living in the home.

• Three students have graduated college and returned to work at the home.

• There are currently 11 young people in college, studying fields such as dentistry and nursing.

• There are 4 young people living on the bottom floor of the transitional housing.

• Once enough money is raised, they will complete the transitional housing building.

• Cancer Survivor Day of Beauty and Support

• The event will take place on June 7. Marcia will chair this project as she has in the past. She will work with her counterpart in PV. The last Day of Beauty was held before the pandemic and over 20 salons in PV participated.

• Baldwin Memorial Mosaic-Trudy

• Trudy reported that she continues to work on having the mosaic memorial that our Foundation purchased to honor the memory of long time Sister Cities Board members, John and Judi Baldwin, installed in the Mosaic Park in Puerto Vallarta.

• Marcia shared with the group that Laura Torres, a past member of the PV Sister Cities group and friend of many people on our Board, gave her a copy of a book that her mother wrote about the history and culture of Puerto

Vallarta. Laura requested that the book, Recordando un Paraiso by Josefina Cortés Lugo de Torres, be given to a school library in Highland Park. Marcia has arranged for the book to be given to Northwood School.

IX. Modena

• Lori reported that Pierpaolo, the Modena Sister Cities president, told her that the situation in Italy is very difficult. In addition to COVID concerns, people are terrified about the war in Ukraine. Silvia Rota shared that her family and friends in Italy have expressed the same fear of war.

• Lori also reported that Gianni Coletta, tenor from Modena and founder of Actea, the organization we support for young opera singers, is planning a full schedule of events. Details to follow.

X. Yerucham

• We continue to stay in contact with Debbie Goldman with the hope of creating a Virtual Cooking Class with the Culinary Queens in the fall.

XI. Illinois Sister Cities Association Annual Conference

• Carol and Rick will be attending the Annual Conference in Richton Park on Saturday, April 23.

• Rick shared that Carol has accepted a position on the Board of Directors of the State Sister Cities organization.

XII. Adjournment

• On motion by Marcia and seconded by Phil, the meeting adjourned at 8:08.

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