City of Highland Park Sister Cities Foundation met July 10.
Here are the minutes provided by the council:
Directors Present: Carol Wolfe, Phil Bettiker, Trudy Bettiker, Abby Block, Luis Gonzalez, Phil Lazarus, Wendy Lipsman, Jamie Pestine, Matt Pestine, Nancy Richman, Sandy Richman, Marcia Rosenbaum, Silvia Rota, Rick Wolfe, Lori Wyatt
Directors Absent: Larry Block, Julie Gordon, Gail Guggenheim, Holly Kerr, Rhoda Pierce, Carol Lazarus, Cheryl Levi
Student Liaisons Absent: Nicole Arreola
Council Liaison: Andrés Tapia
Staff Liaison: Megan Cherry
I. Call to Order
• President, Carol Wolfe, called the meeting to order at 7:03 PM.
II. Approval of June Minutes
• On motion by Matt, and seconded by Wendy, the June 19, 2023 meeting minutes were approved unanimously.
III. Treasurer’s Report
• Nancy provided copies of the May and June Treasurer’s Report but only gave an update on the June report. The June report includes the Ravinia Festival tickets purchased for the upcoming exchange with Puerto Vallarta.
• On motion by Matt, and seconded by Marcia, the June Treasurer’s Report was approved unanimously.
IV. Fourth of July Collaboration – Draw the Whale Contest
• Carol thanked those who volunteered at the Fourth of July event.
• The Foundation had a table at the community picnic where two children won the Foundation’s Draw the Whale Contest.
• Carol also shared that the City’s drone show featured the Whale Sculpture, Ballena, which was a gift from the people of Puerto Vallarta to the people of Highland Park. The sculpture is located in Sister Cities Park.
V. Puerto Vallarta
• Student Ambassador Program
o The Student Ambassador Program recently had a cooking exchange. The students from Puerto Vallarta prepared hamburgers and fries and the Highland Park students prepared chilaquiles. The students meet regularly. Carol praised Samantha Levi, Highland Park Student Ambassador, for her leadership on the program.
• Mango Festival
o The Mango Festival in Puerto Vallarta, sponsored by the Puerto Vallarta Sister Cities Association, will take place this weekend (July 15). The goal of the Festival is to raise money for the Cultural Center and other projects.
o The Highland Park Sister Cities Foundation helped to procure restaurants in Puerto Vallarta to donate dishes for the Festival.
o Rick made a motion to support Highland Park’s Sister City projects and programs in Puerto Vallarta with $5,000. The money will be used for the Sister Cities programs that we sponsor in Puerto Vallarta: the DesembocARTE Art Program for Children, the Tae Kwan Do self-defense classes for children, the Adult Literacy Program, and the building of the Highland Park/Puerto Vallarta Sister Cities Cultural Center.
▪ After discussion, Rick’s motion was seconded by Marcia and approved unanimously.
o Lori asked if the Foundation has ever thought about hosting a Mango Festival here as a fundraising event for the Puerto Vallarta Sister Cities Association. Carol mentioned that it would be good to keep in mind for the future.
• Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser for Corazon
o Phil Bettiker announced that the Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser will be October 3, 2023 at Italian Kitchen in Deerfield. Phil will work on putting items together for a silent auction.
• August Exchange
o At the moment, there will be 12 visitors for the Sister Cities exchange in August. They will arrive on August 25 and depart for Chicago the morning of August 28. During their time in Highland Park, there will be several activities and things to do.
VI. Yerucham
• Phil Lazarus reported that there is an upcoming meeting with the Yerucham Committee. He hopes to narrow down ideas and focus on a few key areas at this meeting. They are:
o Music: Phil mentioned that Midwest Young Artists Conservatory in Highwood would be a great group to collaborate with on projects with the Yerucham Committee.
o Robotics: Lori is going to work with the robotics programs at School Districts 112 and 113 for potential projects and programs with the Yerucham Committee.
o Culinary Component: Yerucham is a melting pot of cultures, and it would be great to have women tell their stories while cooking a dish from their country/culture.
o Sports: Carol spoke with Julie, who is a yoga instructor, about potential programs involving sports or yoga. Carol asked for ideas and recommendations for more ideas involving women and sports that can be explored.
• Matt mentioned inviting the Consul General of Israel to the Midwest to the upcoming Zoom meeting with the Yerucham Committee.
VII. Modena
• Lori reported that Pierpaolo is on vacation so work on Modena programs are paused until he is back.
• Switching gears from Modena, Lori reported that the Foundation will have a table at the Highwood Gourmet Market in order to raise awareness for the Foundation and its work. It is a well-attended event and the Foundation will be there on August 2 with materials to pass out to market-goers.
VIII. Pierce Garden
• Carol thanked Jamie and Matt for their work on the Pierce Garden.
IX. Northwood Mural
• Wendy, Luis and Carol are meeting with the new principal of Northwood Middle School. They are going to give him some background information about the Sister Cities mural at the school. They hope that the new principal will be receptive to Sister Cities programming.
X. Adjournment
• Before the meeting adjourned, Luis asked if the Foundation has any plans to participate in Hispanic Heritage Month activities.
o Carol and Luis expressed their disappointment and concern with the last Hispanic Heritage Month activities which were held at the Library
o Councilmember Tapia will reach out to the organizations involved in planning activities for Hispanic Heritage Month and see what the plans are for this year. He will report back to the Foundation.
• On motion by Phil Bettiker, and seconded by Lori, the meeting adjourned at 8:10 PM.
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