Ten years ago, in July 1998, 75-year-old Barbara Monsor had just retired from an 18-year career with Youth Guidance in Chicago when she heard the plight of a girl who needed to get out of a potentially lethal gang situation. The social worker knew of a safe haven where the girl could turn, but didn't have the resources to get there.

Having learned a lot about children's critical and unmet needs in the career she had just left, Barbara, a mother of six and grandmother of eight, turned to her church group for help in raising the necessary funds. Her successful efforts to find money to help this young woman in need marked the first of many grants that would eventually be awarded by the Mothers Trust Foundation.

Today, $800,000 in grants and more than 7,000 children and families later, Barbara has made the decision to step down from her role as Executive Director. It would be an understatement to say that Mothers Trust Foundation could not have existed without her. Through the last ten years, Barbara has worked tirelessly to make sure that the needs of thousands of Lake County children did not go unnoticed or unserved.

Barbara will remain on the Board of the Mothers Trust Foundation in the role of Emeritus Director; her experience, knowledge and passion will continue to be an enormous asset to the foundation. She is currently working on a special project with an intern from Lake Forest College. In her free time, Barbara will continue to pursue her love of painting, family and politics.

Stepping into the position of Executive Director is Lake Bluff resident Cheri Richardson. Cheri was formerly the Executive Director of the United Way of the North Shore, and has been affiliated with Gorton Community Center, KidsUganda, the Lake Bluff Historic Preservation Commission, and other local community organizations. She is the current president of the Lake Forest/Lake Bluff Rotary Club. Cheri has a BS in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin.