2021 Volume 1
Winter
page 2: Letter from the President and CEO
page 4: Giving Tuesday
Goal Exceeded
page 5: 2020 Holiday Season
page 6: Farmyard News
Helping people with developmental disabilities lead productive, happy lives and connecting with the human spirit in us all.
www.lambsfarm.org
Though the holidays looked much different this year due to the pandemic, staff did all they could to make sure Participants had a great time celebrating in the comfort of their homes.
They planned Hanukkah celebrations which consisted of traditional and delicious foods like roast beef and gravy, matzo ball soup and latkes. Participants enjoyed the festive meals and had fun learning how to play dreidel.
As Christmas quickly approached, they spent time decorating their homes, making ornaments for their trees,
baking gingerbread cookies, watching holiday movies and creating cards for their friends and family.
The Strohmayer family, who usually brings holiday magic to Lambs Farm by decorating and planning a special holiday get together for Lambs Farm Participants, were able to safely carry on their heartwarming tradition for the residents at Green-Field. They coordinated with staff to send gifts, surprised the Participants with a dessert table full of treats made with love at the Magnolia Cafe & Bakery and ordered holiday props for fun photos.
Even with the temporary closure from March until July due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Dogwood Garden & Pet Center was still able to help over 100 rescue animals find their forever homes in 2020 through our partnership with Wright Way Rescue.
This year is off to a nice start as they continue to pick up new arrivals each week and receive plenty of inquiries from potential adopters who are interested in expanding their family by four paws.
The Dogwood Garden & Pet Center have received an unwavering amount of support since they reopened and are so grateful for the many donations from the community. Astellas sent over 50 soft blankets, several toys and some special treats as a gift over the holidays. We can’t thank them enough for all they do to support Lambs Farm.
Staff are excited to see what 2021 has in store as they continue to help animals in need. If you are interesed in adopting, please visit www.lambsfarm. org to learn about our adoption and reservation system.
It is truly hard to believe that the pandemic, which began in March 2020, has continued. As such, we find ourselves perpetually “on hold” trying to assure we are doing everything we can to see that those Participants who have remained at Lambs Farm are kept safe and busy. In the process, a number of family members have opted to bring their Participants to their family home and have kept them there until word of a vaccine became available.
The good news is we have received notice that the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has contracted with Walgreens Pharmacy to bring the Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine to Lambs Farm for all Participants and Staff, with the first dose to be administered on January 29th. Walgreens will return on February 19th to administer the second dose. A second round is tentatively scheduled for February and March.
Those Participants who have returned to Lambs Farm will be eligible to receive their vaccinations here. Others who have not yet returned to Lambs Farm must have been tested for COVID-19 by January 20th or 21st and remain in quarantine. Others who have not returned by January 28th will need to get their vaccinations through AllVax at the Lake County Health Department.
In the meantime, those Participants who have remained at Lambs Farm or have now returned are busy with a variety of activities. Staff not working in their usual jobs are in
the houses assisting the Participants as necessary and otherwise keeping them occupied. Those who have recently returned to Lambs Farm are happy to be back with their friends.
Of course, our goal is to return to some semblance of normalcy when it is possible to do so. This will depend on how quickly we are able to get everyone vaccinated and our regulatory agencies, both IDPH and DHS, provide us with additional reopening guidance. That said, it would likely take more than one round of vaccinations by Walgreens to capture enough Participants and Staff before we can begin to reopen some of our programs.
Your ongoing support will assure that the men and women of Lambs Farm will continue to reap the significant dividends that define the quality of their lives. Thank you for your continued belief in our mission.
Sincerely,
Dianne M. Yaconetti President and CEO
Staff with the donations from Astellas
(continued from cover)
The Strohmayers certainly missed singing Christmas carols, drinking hot chocolate and visiting with the men and women of Lambs Farm in-person, but they were excited and felt extremely blessed to help make their holidays brighter. After receiving party photos from staff and a stack of thank you cards, their hearts were full of love and gratitude which they believe is the greatest gift of all.
Our generous friends at Astellas also made the holidays extra special this year. They worked with staff to create a wish list and surprised the men and women of Lambs Farm with new TVs and karaoke machines. They also sent each Participant on campus a gift card to shop online.
On Christmas Eve, Santa Elvis delivered the gifts to the houses, and Participants were beaming with excitement.
This holiday season was far from normal, but with the support from staff, families and volunteers, the men and women of Lambs Farm were able to find joy during the greatest time of year. We are hopeful that 2021 will be brighter and look forward to celebrating a big milestone — our 60th anniversary!
We certainly missed celebrating the men and women of Lambs Farm at our traditional in-person annual benefit in Chicago, but we are happy to announce that our first-ever virtual gala, held on November 7, was a big success! We couldn’t have done it without our generous sponsors. Thank you so much for your continued support.
Bountiful Harvest Sponsors:
BMO Harris Bank
Nancy & Bob Goerne
Joe and Carol Milburn
The Lazar-Wagner Fund
Romanucci & Blandin, LLC
Harvest Memories Sponsors:
Alper Services
Autohaus on Edens
Paul Frederick & Marilyn Rosengarden Frederick
The Casanova Family
David Hamel
Harvest Moon Sponsors: Abbott
Joan Fuller
Calvin & Jamie Kleinschmidt
Susan Siebers
Trailhead Retirement Planning Group at Morgan Stanley
Uline
Zac & Zuzu
Harvest Gathering Sponsors: Abbott
GCG
Martha Fox
Joan Fuller
Betty & Ronald Krupp
Nancy R. Levi
Barbara Sheahan
Joan & Dick Willix
Uline
Harvest Time Sponsors:
Bank Financial, Libertyville
Maureen & Mel De Matoff
Joan Fuller
KDX Custom Street Rods
Craig & Debbie Marlowe
Harriet Pistorio & Robert Ryan
Beverly Yusim
This year’s Giving Tuesday goal was to raise $25,000 to upgrade two timeless Farmyard attractions — the miniature train and carousel.
Both attractions have been at Lambs Farm for over 25 years. For generations, families have been warmly welcomed by a Lambs Farm Participant before they’ve boarded the train for a ride around our lake or enjoyed a ride on the carousel on their favorite horse.
We are excited to announce that we exceeded our goal and raised $41,000 thanks to all of our generous donors. These maintenance upgrades will allow both attractions to operate more reliably throughout the Farmyard season which means Participants can continue doing jobs they love, and guests can continue a special Lambs Farm tradition.
We would like to thank everyone who participated in Giving Tuesday. Whether you donated, shared one of our social media posts or told a friend, you truly made a difference in helping us reach our goal.
Mike Jacobs, Farmyard Attendant, starred in our Giving Tuesday 2020 videoIt truly was a holiday season like never before as we navigated through the challenges caused by the pandemic during our busiest time of year.
We had to make the difficult decision to cancel Breakfast with Santa, an event that is a long-standing highlight of the holiday season and special tradition for many families. All of us here at Lambs Farm missed celebrating with our guests and look forward to welcoming everyone back when it is safe to do so. The holidays also felt incomplete without the hustle and bustle of the annual Lambs Farm Holiday Gift & Craft Fair at Arlington Heights Racecourse. We hope to return next year to share our delicious products and the mission of Lambs Farm.
Our winter events may have been put to a halt, but The Sugar Maple Country Store & Bakery staff were busier than ever. They spent countless hours sprinkling cookies, assembling chocolate assortments, individually wrapping products for safe sharing and shipping thousands of packages across the country. Thanks to their tireless dedication, we were able to fulfill hundreds of orders and spread holiday cheer when people needed it most.
We are so thankful for the several corporations and individuals who sent gifts to their associates, family and friends over the holidays. Your support makes a big difference to men and women of Lambs Farm, especially during these trying times.
You can now enjoy our famous cookies and chocolates every month when you join Lambs Farm’s new Sweet Treat of the Month Club!
Choose from our three month, six month or one year subscriptions, tell us which month you’d like to start and we’ll send freshly made treats right to your doorstep or your recipients. Order online at www,lambsfarm.org/shop/ or by phone at 847.362.4636.
January: Turtlettes
February: Heart Shaped Cut-Out Cookies
March: English Toffee
April: Four Favorites Cookie Quartet
May: Flower Cut-Out Cookies
June: Sweet & Salty Assortment
July: Farm Animal Cut-Out Cookies
August: Jumbo Lemon Butter Cookies
September: Gourmet Cookie Assortment
October: Fall Favorites Cookie Collection
November: Assorted Muffins
December: Chocolate Lover’s Collection
As the Farmyard gears up for the 2021 season, staff wanted to share some of their newest arrivals you will be able to meet this April!
Our Farmyard friends have been enjoying all kinds of special treats from the community!
In the fall, the Farmyard began accepting pumpkin, corn stalk and hay bale donations. Animals like pigs, cows, tortoises, goats and sheep love snacking on pulp, while the birds and chinchillas enjoy pecking away at the seeds and stems. By the end of November, the Farmyard received over 1,000 pumpkins!
After the holiday season ended, the Farmyard continued its tradition of accepting Christmas tree donations. Joseph the camel looks forward to this time of year the most — he absolutely loves munching on the branches and brushing up against the trees. Animal Keepers take several videos and photos of all the animals stomping out of excitement and using the trees as an enrichment toy. The videos and photos are then shared on our Facebook page so viewers can see just how much our Farmyard friends appreciate their donations.
The animals kept feeling the love as we hosted a new virtual event, Send a Valentine to a Farmyard Friend. Supporters were able to send a heartshaped treat or rose to the animal of their choice and watch as the Farmyard staff delievered the valentines via Facebook Live.
We are thankful for all the support for our Farmyard friends. The animals and staff look forward to welcoming guests back to the Farmyard when we reopen for the 2021 season in April!
Lambs Farm is grateful for the support we receive from our many friends. Listed below are the names of those especially generous individuals, foundations and corporations whose gifts of $1,000 or more were received from September 2020 - December 2020.
$50,000 and above
Anonymous
$25,000 to $49,999
Anonymous
Grace A. Bersted Foundation
The John and Kathleen Schreiber Foundation
Mr. & Mrs. Warren Wiegand, Jr.
$10,000 to $24,999
Mr. & Mrs. Bill Abington
Adreani Foundation
Anonymous
Mr. Alan G. Barsumian
BMO Harris Bank
Fred J. Brunner Foundation
The Buchanan Family Foundation
Mr. Thomas D. Creigh
Mr. & Mrs. Doug Durbin
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Goerne
Marvin and Kay Lichtman Foundation
Milburn Family Fund
Mr. Robert Neiman
Edmond & Alice Opler Foundation
Packaging Corporation of America
Ed & Karen Rogan
Mr. Robert N. Savoie
The Trustmark Foundation
Walker Group
W. P. & H. B. White Foundation
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc.
$5,000 to $9,999
Alper Services, LLC
Assurance
Autohaus on Edens, Inc.
Mrs. Susan Boyd
Mr. & Mrs. Thomas A. Carey
Mrs. Nancy Casanova
Community Home Team
Mr. & Mrs. Dale A. Dellutri
Mr. & Mrs. John Durbin
George M. Eisenberg
Foundation for Charities
Mrs. Joan Fuller
Mr. & Mrs. James E. Gallagher
Mrs. Joan J. Golder
Mr. David Hamel
Henry Crown & Company
James A. Kreiser Trust
Ms. Janice L. Leclerc
Mr. & Mrs. Paul Leclerc
Libertyville Township
Mr. & Mrs. Michael J. Liner
Daniel H. Lome Foundation
Mr. Bruce Moyer
Mr. & Mrs. Greg Moyer
New Trier Township
The Reichert Foundation
Dr. & Mrs. Stuart M. Schwartz
Ms. Susan Siebers
Mrs. Gertrude Smutney
Mrs. Susan Sprowl
Mr. & Mrs. Thomas A. Thill
Mr. & Mrs. Rob Valerious
Mr. & Mrs. Philip Wernick
Ms. Alice P. White
Ms. Dianne M. Yaconetti
Mr. & Mrs. James P. Zils
$2,500 to $4,999
Abbott Laboratories
Ms. Renate Ade
Anonymous
Baudendistel Family Charitable Fund
Cerwin Family
Mr. Donald Coxe
Dr. Richard Davison
Essendant Charitable Foundation
Garvey’s Office Products
Mr. & Mrs. Jason Guyon
Mr. & Mrs. Craig W. Hoffman
Dr. & Mrs. Robert Holstein
Mrs. Virginia C. Horsch
Mr. & Mrs. William R. Jacobs
Mr. & Mrs. Calvin Kleinschmidt
Mr. & Mrs. Michael Koss
Mr. & Mrs. Ron Krupp
McCortney Foundation
Morgan Stanley, Trailhead Retirement
Planning Group
Mr. Curtis Olson
Mr. Daric Olson
Mrs. Jeanne Plattner
Prince Charitable Trusts
Ms. Mary B. Rapp
Mrs. Kristin Schneider
Mr. Mike Stapleton
Mr. & Mrs. James Stephanak
Dr. & Mrs. Richard L. Sturm
Ms. Eiko Terao
Uline
Mr. & Mrs. Willard T. Walker
Mr. & Mrs. Richard Willix
Ms. Ruth Wittenberg
Mrs. Lita Zemel
Mr. & Mrs. Arie Zoller
$1,000 to $2,499
AbbVie
Abt Electronics
Mr. & Mrs. John Alexander
Mr. & Mrs. John Amboian
Mr. Alan O. Amos & Ms. Marcia E. Lazar
Ms. Maureen Annamaree
Mr. & Mrs. Adam Avin
Mr. & Mrs. Lee Barbakoff
Ms. Wilma Baumgartner
Mr. & Mrs. Stephan Blandin
Bramco Construction Company
Mr. & Mrs. Christopher Breck
Dr. & Mrs. Robert Bronski
Mrs. Electra Carlson
Mr. Robert Carone
Mr. Mike Clark
Mr. & Mrs. Brian Condon
Ms. Debbie Creigh
Mr. & Mrs. George Czechowski
Denton Family Fund
Mr. Shawn Dietrich
Mr. & Mrs. Justin Edmonds
Mr. & Mrs. William R. Feller
Mr. Douglas A. Fisher
Ms. Martha Fox
The Galley, LLC
GCG Financial, Inc.
Golf Gifts & Gallery, Inc.
Mr. & Mrs. David Grady
Mr. & Mrs. H. Donald Hanson
Dr. & Dr. Richard A. Hirth
Ms. Alice Huizinga
Illinois PGA Foundation
Mr. Jerome M. Katz
Dr. & Mrs. Melvin P. Katz
Mr. & Mrs. Kennen H. Kim Kingsbury Fund
Mr. David Kipley & Ms. Francine Puglise
Mr. & Mrs. Gideon Kishony
Mr. & Mrs. Richard Koehler
Mr. & Mrs. Burt B. Lasko
Mrs. Miriam Lazar
Ms. Nancy R. Levi
Mr. & Mrs. Peter Levy
Libertyville Rotary Sunrise Club
Mr. Anthony Licata
Ms. Debora S. Ludolph
Mr. & Mrs. Arthur J. McGivern
Mesirow Financial
Mr. James Milburn
Mr. J. Clifford Moos
Anne & Mike Mullen
Mr. & Mrs. David Nankin
Mrs. Karen Nixon
Mrs. Verlyn J. O’Halloran
The Options Clearing Corporation
Mr. Chaitanya Patel
Ms. Kathleen Pennington
Ms. Denise Petersen
Ms. Rosalie Piazza
Mr. & Mrs. John Piccione
Podolsky Family Foundation
Mr. & Mrs. Michael J. Reilly
Richard and Marianne Reinisch
Foundation
Mr. Jeff Roberts
Miss Margaret Schaefer
Mr. & Mrs. Jack W. Schuler
Ms. Barbara Sheahan
Mr. & Mrs. Phil Stephan
Sub-Zero Group Midwest, LLC
Laurie & Bruce Tait
Mr. & Mrs. Harold B. Tobin
Mr. & Mrs. Kent Verner
Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Wallace
Wauwatosa Savings and Loan Foundation
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Wegner
Mr. & Mrs. Frank Weitekamper
Mr. & Mrs. Mitch Wilneff
Bequests
Facebook Fundraisers
Marianne Bartkowski
Martha Fox
Lisa Giudice
Paula Graham
Robert Huizenga
Christine Juiris
Karin Zaun
Maddie Katz
Calvin Kleinschmidt
Sandy Nape-Chlopek
Joanne Palmer
Marilyn Rosengarden Frederick
Chuck Spillner
Sarita Still
Bcn Vern
Brian Bigdogg Verner
Lizzy Weinstock
Richard Willix
Luallen Cooper and Isabelle Cooper Revocable Trusts
Roberta Kapoun Supplemental Needs Trust
Ms. Daisy D. Patt Charitable Trust
We are always especially honored by the decision to honor and remember friends and loved ones with a gift to Lambs Farm. Below, we list the names of those individuals who have been honored or remembered with a gift received from September 2020 - December 2020.
Dan Skoczylas
Jen Slater Dina Smith
Sheri Smith
Matt Soderman
David Sowinski
Eli Spector
Chuck Spillner
Peggy Stanton
Jason O’Day Mark Oehlers Terry O’Grady
Kathleen O’Neill Richard E. O’Neill Danny Orleans
Palmer
Irene Pappa Don Parenti Margaret Parnell Hogan
Prashant Patil Paul Pearce
Lianne Piccione
Pickens Julie Pipitone
Pleshek George Poulos
Price Kanak Rajan Barbara Ransdell Diana Rau
Ralph E. Rau Boyd Raveling Bruce P. Redwanc
Reinwald
Reiser
Rettenmeier Humberto Rodriguez Cordeiro Annie Rolecek
Rosengarden
Wynn A. Rosengarten
Ellen Ross
Scott Ruoti
Kathy Roubast Almarzano
Mary Lou Royer
Bonnie Sabat
Micah Saul
Carol A. Savoie
Lori Schiebel
Don Schmidt
Linda Schuh
Jeffrey Sears
Gregg Seiler
Brittnee Seymore
Jack Shannon Timothy Sheahan
Evelyn Shiakallis
Susan Siebers
Tom Sieniawski
Michael Stapleton
Robert O. Stein
Daniel Stein
Julie Stewart
Sophie Stickell
Sarita Still
Nick Stoia Chauncey Stroud
Jim Sunderland
Jimmy Sunderland
Greg Swanson
Mike Talian & Team
Tracy Taylor
Alex Tellez
Erin Thill
Andrea Tomasek
Jessica Alanis Torres
Beth Tortorici
Willis Towers Watson
Shari Trantas
Amanda Troyer
Chris Tucker
Lynn Ustaski
Dan Vantice
Erin Veder
Brian Verner
Gwendolyn Verner
Emma Villela
Visit Lake County CVB
Ryan Volker
Douglas Wagner
Jon Wakefield
Chris Walti
Darrell Washington
Lizzy Weinstock
Emily Wells
Robert Werner
Andrew I. Wernick
Joe Wihlm
Cindy Wilk
Joanna Willix
Brianna Wilmoth
Bethany Woodhouse
Alissa Wright
Jennifer Wysocki
Dianne M. Yaconetti
Lita Zemel
Jon Zils
In Memory Of
Bernadette Andersen
Thomas Andress
Leonard B. Auerbach
James Baudendistel
Donald Blank
Mary Jane Blank
William Bock
Elizabeth “Betsy” Brake
Jimmy Braun
Wilma J. Bresnan
Frieda Brown
Susan Bucar
Karen Buron
James E. Bush
Carol Catalano
Lucille E. Cerwin
Jean Crowder
Dennis Davis
Daniel Delson
Jillian Dounlds
Ashoke Dutt
Ruth Eldert
William Eldert
Kaitlin Englehart
Jean B. Erickson
Lorri Fancher
Anna H. Feller
James Flurry
Richard Flynn
Gertrude E. Fredrich
Frank Froncek
Irene Froncek
Janie Froncek
Jake Gallegos
Sander M. Goodman
Susie Greenberg
Caesar J. Gridelli
Gloria A. Harer
Warren Harer
R. Shawn Heaviland
Janet Hermann
A. J. Hill
Midge Holzworth
Robert J. Holzworth
Sharon K. Houseman
Lisa Iskalis McCarthy
Thomas Iskalis
Thomas R. Jacobs
Susie Jaworski
James A. Jordan
Roberta Kapoun
W. Thomas Karis
Myron Katz
William “Billy” Klass
Patti Kohler
Kenneth Kowalczyk
Richard T. Kraft
Larry Kubacki
Bertrand N. Lascoe
Roberta Levitt
Dolores Lewandowski
Norbert Lewandowski
Sue Libby
Jane Lippe
Dan Loizzo
Marjorie Loizzo
Alan Marzano
Tera L. Matthies
Patricia Micucci
Marilyn Mints
Thomas M. Mints Jr.
Edward Mitchell
Quinn Mooney
Fred Moos
Betty Moran
Jack Morien
Jill Moyer
Judy Munson
Dorothy Murphy
John “Jay” B. Murphy Jr.
John B. Murphy
Katherine M. Murphy
Michael F. Murphy
James Neary
Paul Norris
Gloria Obremski
Paula O’Connor
Dennis Page
Bablo Patel
Linda Pear
Warren Peters
Leo Petrick
Marjorie Petrick
Germaine L. Piedmonte
Anthony Pontillo
Dora Pontillo
Mabel Ramskill
Wirt E. Ramskill
Frank Redwanc
Stella Redwanc
Michael Resnick
Elaine Roschman
Joseph L. Roschman
Luke Rosean
Lolly Rosengarten
George L. Sandstrom
Nancy Sauseda
Ronald Schleiden
Vincent Scialabba
William Siebers
Barbara M. Silet
William Silet
Ronald Starostovic
Jack Stein
Karen Sue Stenberg
Holly G. Stephenson
John H. Stocker
Pamela A. Sully
David Sundheim
George M. Sundheim
Sally Sundheim
Bob Terese
Mary Ruth Terese
Scott M. Torrence
Richard Vail
Michael Vazzano
Maureen Vecchio
Mary E. Voigt
Robert Waddick
Luke A. Wienckowski
Harvey S. Wineberg
