fou n de r’s l e t t e r
by susan b . noye s Summer—a season defined by
beauty and opportunity for adventure—is too brief to spend our free time online or in front of a video screen. We’re hoping this issue helps you relax technology’s grip on your time and attention, giving you great advice to make the most of glorious summer days. Thanks to Senior Editor Kelly Konrad and a large pool of talented experts, we’ve got page after page of ideas to get you offline and outside. Want a more relaxing space out your own back door? Read what the experts suggest on page 23. Looking to reconnect with nature? We’ve got suggestions that are just minutes, hours, or a day’s drive away on page 20. Need help picking out a new board game? Julie Chernoff has chosen a few for you, on page 22. Still not sure you even need to unplug? Lindsay Roseman tells you why on page 24. This month the stars are shining a little brighter, too—New Trier grad Katie Chang is set to become a breakout star in her new movie, “The Bling Ring.” We had a chance to talk with her about the movie and life on the North Shore. And don’t miss our sitdown with Mariel Hemingway, as she discusses her frenzied life and how she learned how to slow down and reclaim it. As always, our mission focuses on making lives better, and thanks to Director of Community Development Sandra Miller and CEO Kimberly Carroll, along with sponsors JPMorgan Chase and Walgreens, we just celebrated our first Philanthropy Awards Celebration. We are thrilled to acknowledge the great work of so many nonprofits and look forward to doing it again. In fact, we’ll open nominations for our 2nd Annual Philanthropy Awards online this month at makeitbetter.net/awards. So please, enjoy this magazine and the coming month with family and friends as much as possible, and commit to unplugging when you can—except when you visit us at makeitbetter.net, of course! its
Thank you.
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