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.

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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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

President & CEO Kathy Buresch and Eli Spector

Kelly with Jerry, Lambs Farm’s biggest Elvis fan

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

Original Lambs Ruby and Patti wave to the crowd

Ric posing at the first meeting

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

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

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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 Durbins with President & CEO Kathy Buresch

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!

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

Eli with the Living Legacy Award

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

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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!

Lisa Parr and David Hamel sharing their experience with guests

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!

Farmyard staff celebrating with Rocky!

David during the ceremonial ribbon cutting

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The beautiful renderings Lisa created

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.

Subaru volunteers ready to plant for the 2023 season

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 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!

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

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.

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

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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!

Participants, staff and volunteers ready for State Games

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.

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

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Jimmy throws the javelin

Jessie at the movies

Patrick gardening

Kris at the Rainforest Cafe

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

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

Tributes and Memorials 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

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Non-Profit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID Libertyville, IL Permit No. 171

14245 W. Rockland Road, Libertyville, IL 60048

Change service requested

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.

Trick or Treat on the Farm

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

14245 W. Rockland Road, Libertyville, IL 60048

p: 847.362.4636

f: 847.362.0742

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.

www.lambsfarm.org