Biannual OPS Newsletter 2025

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A Message from our President

Welcome. On behalf of Lake Forest Open Lands, we are humbled by you and by every individual who has included Lake Forest Open Lands in their estate plans. Whether it is through a charitable bequest, a donor advised fund, an insurance policy, or other form of a planned gift, members of the Open Prairie Society have created a lasting legacy of support! Your planned gift creates tremendous opportunities for us to together, transform lives today and for future generations. From one public nature preserve to ten, our supporters have helped us achieve many incredible milestones. Thank you for being an important part of our family and a champion for nature!

Access for All with New Wheels

Barb and Pat Storey and their family visited the Mellody Farm Nature Preserve to hike the preserve utilizing the all terrain wheelchair. Their children and grandchildren were visiting from as far away as Dallas and Denver. A smiling Barb Storey reflected, “Our family loves being together, especially in the outdoors. Seeing frogs and deer was quite an adventure for the kids and all of us enjoyed the natural beauty all around us. Thank you for providing the pleasure of a “walk” in nature for my husband, who is no longer ambulatory, with the use of the allterrain wheelchair. It is truly a gift to our community and Lake Forest Open Lands is a treasure.”

Reserve your wheels today!

Ryan London, President and CEO
Three generations of the Storey family

OPEN PRAIRIE SOCIETY

Get to know Mello’s Preserve

The 102-acre Mello’s Preserve at Westfork Savanna is located in unincorporated West Lake Forest. Mello’s was generously donated to Lake Forest Open Lands by Kathie Florsheim in honor of her family. Kathie worked tirelessly to save the tranquil vistas and diverse habitat from commercial development. We are honored to be the permanent stewards of this beautiful property. To visit click here.

How to keep giving and leave a lasting gift: Blended Gifts

A blended gift can provide an individual with the experience and joy of seeing how their gift benefits others during their lifetime, solidifying a lifelong relationship with LFOLA while achieving their financial and estate planning.

How blended gifts work:

Donors can combine current gifts with planned gifts to create endowments or add to existing ones

Donors can receive tax deductions for certain planned gifts such as charitable life income gifts

Donors can avoid capital gains taxes by donating appreciated stock or real estate

OPS member, Melanie and her grandchildren enjoying the native flowers and habitat at Mellody Farm Nature Preserve.
Kathie’s Story

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