Lambs Tales Volume 2 2023

2023 Volume 2

Summer

inside:

page 2: A Message from the President & CEO

page 4: Carousel Unveiling Celebration

page 5: Volunteer Highlight

page 6: Participant Happenings

our mission:

Helping people with developmental disabilities lead productive, happy lives and connecting with the human spirit in us all www.lambsfarm.org

Celebrating the Spirit 2023: A Night to Remember

After two years of virtual galas, we were excited to welcome guests to the elegant and historic Cuneo Mansion & Gardens for Celebrating the Spirit 2023

It was a beautiful evening dedicated to celebrating the courage of our co-founders, the determination of our participants and the hopes and dreams for the future of Lambs Farm.

Participant volunteers greeted and guided guests to the ballroom to start the fun. We kicked off the evening with a special appearance from Patti Horgan and Ruby Perzan, two of the original Lambs who started at the Pet Shop on State Street.

Guests then enjoyed a gourmet dinner, fun games and auctions. Thanks to several generous donors, the silent auction had over 100 unique items, while the live auction consisted of incredible trips to Belize, Mexico, an ultimate sports package and American adventure.

The night continued as our 2023 award winners took the stage. Robert Neiman, longtime chair of the Lambs Farm Board of Directors, received the first Spirit of Giving Award.

(Continued on page 3)

Elvis Club is Back!

Vocational and Home Based Support Manager Kelly

Czyzowicz, who is a huge Elvis fan herself, brought back the much loved club after it was put on hold due to the pandemic.

The first few meetings were a big hit! Participants had great time singing, dancing and learning about the King of Rock & Roll.

Elvis Club will continue to meet on a monthly basis. Kelly has lots of special activities planned, and we can’t thank her enough for making this happen!or

Planting the Seeds for a New Beginning

May 19 was a magical evening. Lambs Farm Celebrated the Spirit with families, friends, and supporters, and we had so much to celebrate! It was wonderful to be together in person again and to celebrate our past and toast our new beginning. We recognized two fearless souls, “Original Lambs” Patti and Ruby, acknowledged and thanked our participant gala volunteers, and honored and celebrated our special award winners—Robert Neiman, Eli Spector and the Durbin Family.

We owe so much to the vision and passion of our co-founders, Bob Terese and Corinne Owen, and the new beginning that we celebrate is built on the sturdy, enduring foundation they laid. One of the highlights of the evening for me was learning for the first time from Patti that our dream of a commercial greenhouse at Lambs Farm was a private dream of Bob’s decades ago. Now Bob’s dream and ours is poised to come true.

The greenhouse will be a springboard for growing our vocational services and community outreach and a sign of many good things to come. Thank you for helping us plant the seeds for this new beginning for the men and women of Lambs Farm!

Kathy Buresch President & CEO

Kelly with Jerry, Lambs Farm’s biggest Elvis fan

Ric posing at the first meeting

President & CEO Kathy Buresch and Eli Spector

Original Lambs Ruby and Patti wave to the crowd

Guests could participate in a golf, wine drop or aim, shoot & dine game before dinner

Ja’Don and President & CEO Kathy Buresch during the paddle raiser

Guests enjoyed a beautiful evening on the patio of the Cuneo Mansion & Gardens

This high honor recognizes the remarkable generosity of individuals who have made a significant difference to Lambs Farm by donating their time, talent, leadership and resources.

Nobody else fits this description quite like Bob, as he has been a wise and tireless advocate for Lambs Farm since 1999. He has gone above and beyond to support our mission and is always there to celebrate our successes or help us navigate through challenges.

Each year, a participant is recognized with the Living Legacy Award. This award recognizes Lambs Farm participants who live life as our co-founders Bob Terese and Corinne Owen envisioned — learning, growing, sharing, and contributing to their community.

Eli Spector’s courage to try something new made him the perfect candidate. After struggling to find a job that was the right fit, Eli took a chance and helped out in the bakery during our busy catalog season. With guidance from Quest Manager Brooke Mezo, Eli had a successful stint as a temporary catalog fulfillment worker which led to a full-time, challenging job that he loves. Eli was so excited to receive this special honor and we are so proud of him.

The Casanova Award was established in memory of Vince Casanova, a long-term board member and champion of Lambs Farm. The award recognizes people with his passion and commitment to our participants.

The Durbin Family’s deep commitment to Lambs Farm spans three generations, spurred by their love and support for participant

Tom Durbin. Tom’s parents Bob and Julie were sage advisers, active volunteers and generous donors. Tom’s brothers, John and Doug, continue to make their parents proud as they and their spouses do everything they can to support Lambs Farm and carry on the Durbin tradition.

Following the heartfelt award presentations was a paddle raiser. Lambs Farm participant and plant lover Ja’Don hyped up the crowd as he shared his knowledge and the exciting news that we are building a commercial greenhouse. All generous donations raised from the paddle raiser will help us build the new business, which will provide new job opportunities and act as a stepping stone as we grow our vocational services and community outreach.

The evening concluded as guests joined the participants on the dance floor to enjoy great music played by Gentlemen of Leisure.

Special thank you to everyone who contributed to this memorable celebration. It was definitely a night to remember!

Celebrating the Spirit 2023 Sponsors

Thank you, 2023 sponsors, for your continued support of the men and women of Lambs Farm.

Jubilee Sponsor

Packaging Corporation of America

Celebrate Sponsors

The Aldridge Family

Paul Frederick & Marilyn Rosengarden Frederick, Autohaus on Edens

Nancy & Bob Goerne, Barbara Sheahan

Joe & Carol Milburn

Cheer Sponsors

The Alera Group

John Jennings & Anne Mullen

Michael & Toby Liner

Salute Sponsors

Abbott Assurance, A Marsh & McLennan Agency

LLC Company

MedScript LTC Pharmacy

Gerald & Olivia Shapiro

Uline

Toast Sponsors

James Davis & The Smith Davis

Morse Group

Joan Fuller

Merrill, A Bank of America Company

Monohan Law Group, LLC

RCA, LLC

Uline

Applaud Sponsors

Joan Golder

Elizabeth Jeffries

Peggy & Bob Kimble

Ron & Betty Krupp

Mary McGonigel

Bill & Mary Walker

Dick & Joan Willix

Gale Zemel & David Mausner

Eli with the Living Legacy Award

The Durbins with President & CEO Kathy Buresch

Bob’s sons, David & Daniel shared some special words about their dad

Rocky’s 1st Birthday Party!

One of our most popular Farmyard friends, Rocky the White Park cow, turned one on Tuesday, May 16!

Rocky showed up in his party hat and was ready to celebrate!

Animal keepers kicked off his big day with an educational chat and gave Rocky his very own birthday cake. Some guests generously purchased birthday presents for Rocky from the Farmyard’s Amazon wish list. The crowd watched as Rocky opened his new enrichment toys that will be used for years to come.

Raffle tickets for a private animal encounter with Rocky were sold in the weeks leading up to his party. At the end of Rocky’s celebration, Farmyard Manager Katie Donnellan and Farmyard Attendants Mike Jacobs and Stephanie Scialabba randomly drew the lucky winner, Tiffany Milasius!

Congratulations to Tiffany, and thank you to everyone who made Rocky’s day extra fun!

Carousel Unveiling Celebration

On June 2, guests, participants and staff gathered at the Farmyard for a carousel unveiling celebration.

David Hamel, the dedicated volunteer who took on the huge undertaking of renovating all 16 beautiful carousel horses, spoke about the meticulous yet fulfilling journey. Lisa Parr, a restoration expert and owner of Old Parr’s Carousel Animals in Highland Park, helped David get started on the project. She provided color renderings to use as roadmaps for all 16 horses as well as step-by-step instructions.

They started the process in September 2021, working together on the first two horses before David was ready to take the reins and complete the remaining 14 on his own. By the time the old paint was removed and the horses were sanded, primed and carefully painted, each one took approximately 60 hours to complete.

President & CEO Kathy Buresch and Farmyard Manager Katie Donnellan also shared some special words about the history of our carousel, the role it has played in our community and how David’s volunteer efforts have made a significant impact on Lambs Farm.

David proudly cut the ceremonial ribbon to officially open the new and improved carousel for the 2023 season. Children hopped on the bright, shiny horses and enjoyed free rides as the celebration continued.

The carousel has been a family favorite at Lambs Farm for over 30 years and thanks to David, we are ready for 30 more!

Lisa Parr and David Hamel sharing their experience with guests

David during the ceremonial ribbon cutting

The beautiful renderings Lisa created

Farmyard staff celebrating with Rocky!

Thank You, Volunteers!

Every year, Lambs Farm welcomes hundreds of volunteers who generously dedicate their time and energy into supporting our mission. With so many projects underway, we have been lucky to have several groups help us kick off the summer.

Volunteers from CDW started our landscaping season by pulling weeds and prepping areas for planting. Our friends at Abbott, Astellas, Embassy Suites Deerfield & Marriott Suites Deerfield, ComEd, Omron, Rosalind Franklin University and Stream Realty went to work planting flowers at the businesses and across campus, adding beautiful pops of color for our guests, participants and staff to enjoy all season long.

Subaru also returned for a special volunteer day. For a number of years, they have generously purchased vegetable plants for our annual garden at the Magnolia Cafe & Bakery, which gives participants the opportunity to use what they’ve grown to prepare fresh, healthy meals at the Cafe. Subaru also donated all of the materials to create our first ever butterfly bed, which provides a welcoming space for butterflies to gather and grow with us.

The dedicated team from Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital continued its annual tradition by generously donating mulch for the whole Farm. They braved the summer heat and installed it in several areas to give our plants extra moisture and protection.

It is such a blessing to welcome new faces and reunite with the amazing groups who make it a priority to visit and support us year after year. Thank you, volunteers, for making Lambs Farm the special place it is today.

Pet Center Renovation

Thanks to our generous donors, Gerry and Olivia Shapiro, the Pet Center underwent a big renovation.

The puppy viewing room wall was extended and separated into three large areas for guests to meet and play with our adoptable puppies.

The spacious viewing rooms have a fresh, updated look, and the tile and versatile cement board installed make the cleaning process much easier for staff and participants.

Now that the viewing rooms are complete, the floor pens are next to get an overhaul.

We can’t thank Gerry and Olivia enough for making our Pet Center dreams come true!

You can follow along with this exciting project when you follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Subaru volunteers ready to plant for the 2023 season

Brian, Alison and Gary give a sneak peek of the viewing rooms

Astellas volunteers always visit our pups!

Embassy Suites Deerfield & Marriott Suites Deerfield filling planters

Omron in planting mode

First adopters in the new space

Old National Bank Charity Contest

In May, President & CEO Kathy Buresch, Development Manager Kirsten Petersen and Lambs Farm participants accepted a $5,000 check from Greg Bek and Joan Bucaro-Lopez of Old National Bank Mundelein.

We received this generous donation because Lambs Farm was the winner of Old National Bank’s Choose Your Charity Contest, which gave everyone the opportunity to vote for their favorite local nonprofit.

We are honored that the community chose us! This donation is going to make a huge difference for our participants.

Thank you to all who voted!

Participant Happenings

Summer is in full swing for the men and women of Lambs Farm and they are having a blast!

They welcomed the season with a summer kickoff dance. After having a delicious dinner, participants, staff and volunteers played yard games and enjoyed music, dancing and more.

On June 9, athletes headed to the Special Olympics State Summer Games at Illinois State University to compete at the championship level for bocce, track and swimming. Participants played their hearts out and collectively earned 6 gold, 11 silver and 3 shiny bronze medals. Athletes had a great time cheering for each other, taking part in all the weekend activities and celebrating their skills and abilities.

Participants continue to learn and grow in Quest classes. Travel class has been on some fun outings in the community with visits to the Rainforest Cafe and Nickel City. Participants in gardening class developed green thumbs as they helped plant the tomatoes and peppers. They did such a great job tending to the plants that they were able to put them up for sale at the Garden Center.

The Participant Theater program is making great progress on their musical movie with some participants getting even more inspiration after seeing the new version of The Little Mermaid in theaters. They can’t wait to share their hard work with everyone at the red carpet event this fall.

Participants, staff and volunteers ready for State Games

Jimmy throws the javelin Jessie at the movies Patrick gardening Kris at the Rainforest Cafe

Jessica was excited to help spread the word on social media!

Donor Salute

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 Janauary - April 2023.

$50,000 and above

Mr. & Mrs. Warren Aldridge

$10,000 to $24,999

The Aldridge Family

Charitable Fund

Anonymous

The Coleman Foundation, Inc.

Mr. & Mrs. David P. Glover

Mr. & Mrs. Michael J. Liner

Charles & M.R. Shapiro Foundation, Inc.

Mr. & Mrs. James P. Zils

$5,000 to $9,999

Abbott Laboratories

Mr. & Mrs. Richard A. Fick

Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Gabuzzi

Dr. Shari B. Glynn and Dr. John Glynn

Joan & James Lancaster

Mr. Donald P. Maves

New Trier Township

Mr. Robert N. Savoie

Janet & Thomas Scarf

Mrs. Gertrude Smutney

Vernon Township

Mr. & Mrs. Willard T. Walker

Mr. & Mrs. Philip Wernick

$2,500 to $4,999

AbbVie

Exclusive Woodworking

Mrs. Virginia C. Horsch

Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Krupp

Mr. Steven E. Scott

Ms. Susan Siebers

Mr. Sheldon O. Zisook

$1,000 to $2,4999

Anonymous

Benham Family Fund

Mrs. Martha M. Boudewyns

Mrs. Electra Carlson

Comcast NBCUniversal

Matching Gift Program

Mr. & Mrs. Timothy P. Douglass

Mrs. Rona Farber

Mr. Douglas A. Fisher

Mrs. Joan Fuller

Mr. Keith Hickman

William & Susan Jacobs

Mr. & Mrs. Mark J. Johnson

Dr. Melvin P. Katz

Mr. & Mrs. Kennen H. Kim

Mr. & Mrs. Gideon Kishony

Mr. & Mrs. Richard Koehler

Mrs. Karen Lieberman

Mints Family

Northwestern Memorial Healthcare

Mr. Chaitanya Patel

Ms. Rosalie Piazza

Ms. Eiko Terao

Mr. & Mrs. Thomas A. Thill

Mr. & Mrs. Brad Vogan

Ms. Mary Volz

Willis Towers Watson

Mr. & Mrs. Richard Willix

Ms. Gale Zemel

Tributes and Memorials

Facebook Fundraisers

Robbie Bock

Lisa Ellen

Paula Graham

Dan Kummer

Carl Kraizinger

Robbie Levensbaum

Ashley Proksa

Jackie Schumacher

Karen Segal Vogan

Bobby Stochl

Richard Willix

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 January - April 2023.

In Honor Of

Brooke Aldridge

James H. Berke

Robbie Bock

Doug Christolini

Ian Copeland

Thomas Durbin

Ann Fuller

Paula Graham

Heidi Greco

Tony Green

Guy Haynie

Craig W. Hoffman

Manoj Kinhal

Carl Kraizinger

Ron Krupp

Dan Kummer

Lambs Farm Participants

Robbie Levensbaum

Lisa Lichtenstein

Jodye Lieberman

Greg Moyer

Ruth Moyer

Nancy Northrip

Robert A. Northrip

Halle Marie Peace

Randy Pomerance

Ashley Proksa

Adler Puralewski

Edison Puralewski

Ryan Rademaker

Jackie Schumacher

David B. Schwartz

Timothy Sheahan

Lauren Staszczak’s

6th Grade Class

Tyler Staszczak

Bobby Stochl

Daniel M. Sultan

Karen Vogan

Christine Wong

Joanna Willix

Rich Willix

Jeff Zemel

Jon Zils

Kathy Zils

In Memory Of Ginny Bell

Gloria Benham

Theresa Callaghan

Rena Defez

Julie Durbin

Robert Durbin

Arlene Everett

William Farber

Shirley Fier

Jack Franklin

Vi Franklin

Frank Froncek

Irene Froncek

Janie Froncek

Beverly Handelman

Bob Hansen

Jennifer Hart

Christel Hoffman

Lillian M. Johnson

Vithal Kinhal

Tony Kirch

Michael Klein

George Kovacich

Helen Kovacich

Patricia Krueger

Dolores Lewandowski

Norbert Lewandowski

Doris Lunniss

LeRoy Lunniss

Eunice Marcus

Michael C. Martino

Kimberly McVoy

Marilyn D. Mints

Thomas M. Mints, Jr.

Dorothy Murphy

John “Jay” B. Murphy, Jr.

John B. Murphy

Katherine M. Murphy

Paula O’Connor

Dennis Page

Lorraine Pink Benkovich

Mary Ann Plagge

Grace Reinholds

Shadow Rosenmutter

David Sanders

Nancy Sauseda

Jayne Schickedanz

Evelyn Stenberg

Karen Sue Stenberg

Holly G. Stephenson

Joan Vazzano

Robert Waddick

Sue Wallis

14245 W. Rockland Road, Libertyville, IL 60048

Upcoming Events

DOGwood Day

Sunday, August 6 | 10am to 2pm

Lambs Farm

Spoil your pup and celebrate the special connection between humans and dogs!

Summertime Craft Fest

Saturday, August 12 | 10am to 4pm

Sunday, August 13 | 10am to 4pm

Camp Big Timber

Join us at Camp Big Timber in Elgin to stock up on your favorite Lambs Farm products.

Fall on the Farm

Date TBD

Lambs Farm

Enjoy a day of family fun with fall crafts and Farmyard friends. Check our website and social media platforms for event updates.

Happy Hour with Lambs Farm

Thursday, October 26 | 6pm to 9pm

North Shore Distillery

Enjoy cocktails, demonstrations, a tour and games at North Shore Distillery in Green Oaks. Call 847.990.3749 for more information

Trick or Treat on the Farm

Saturday, October 28 | 10am to 4pm

Lambs Farm

Celebrate Halloween with your favorite Farmyard friends!

A Holiday Happening Craft Show

Saturday, November 4 | 10am to 4pm

Sunday, November 5 | 10am to 4pm

College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn

We are excited to join this show! Stop by our booth to pick up something for everyone on your holiday list.