The Spirit of Giving

The faculty and staff of Lake Forest College reached deep into their pockets to donate an extremely generous gift of $5,382 to Mothers Trust Foundation, the beneficiary of their 2009 faculty and staff holiday luncheon and silent auction. Each year, the college wraps up the first semester with this event. As the students head home for the holidays, faculty and staff gather for a festive lunch provided by the college, to celebrate the season and raise money for a good cause. Each department designates a representative to serve on the luncheon committee. This group is charged with planning and presenting the luncheon as well as choosing the charity that will benefit from the proceeds of the raffle and silent auction.

The committee chose Mothers Trust Foundation as the 2009 recipient. Cheri Richardson, Mothers Trust Executive Director, accepted the donation from the Lake Forest College community with thanks and gratitude. "We're so grateful and amazed by the generosity of the Lake Forest College community. It's reassuring to know that even in difficult economic times people will reach out to help others in need. Since our average grant is $100, more than 50 children will benefit from the Lake Forest College contribution. "

Mothers Trust Teens Work to Keep Families Warm This Winter

On Saturday, December 5, 2009, Mothers Trust Teens hosted their Second Annual Coat Give-Away for families in the North Chicago School District and surrounding communities. Thanks to so many generous individuals from Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, Libertyville and the Bannockburn School, more than 450 coats were collected, as well as countless hats, scarves, mittens and articles of warm clothing. The North Chicago High School Basketball Team helped the teens set up the drive in a very short time. Many thanks to all the Friends of Mothers Trust who assisted in so many ways. We couldn't have done it without you!

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2009 Betty Bash
In the Beginning

Mothers Trust Foundation reached new heights this year at the Betty Bash, held September 18 under the big top tent at Lake Bluff Golf Course. The Betty Bash, an annual all-women's event, attracted more than 270 women and raised over $85,000 for children in need in Lake County.

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Mothers Trust Paints The Town

One wore a red and black snake that covered his face. Another had flowers inching all the way up her arm. Little girls in smocked dresses lined up to have smiley faces or hearts painted in just the right spot. They were messy and adorable at last Sunday's Bluffinia, where Mothers Trust Foundation sponsored face painting and balloons. Read the Gazebo News article >>

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Fourth of July Parade

Mothers Trust Foundation was well represented in the 4th of July parade in Lake Bluff. Thanks to all the members and daughters of members, as well as the Mothers Trust Teens, who marched in the parade to spread the word about Mothers Trust. The positive response from spectators was confirmation that people are aware of and appreciate our efforts to help children in need in Lake County.

Friends Coordinate School Uniform Drive

Jane Rubin, a member of the Friends' group, recently organized a school uniform drive at St. Mary's School in Lake Forest to benefit a number of students in North Chicago. Students in North Chicago public schools are required to wear uniforms but often families are unable to afford the expense. St. Mary's families responded by filling the large collection boxes at both schools with numerous uniform items, even including brand new pants, shorts and belts. Jane said it warmed her heart to see the "wonderful generosity." St. Mary's also decided to donate all extra clothing from their annual uniform drive to the cause. With the help of St. Mary's mom, Debbie Zage, Jane packed up 10 boxes of pants, shirts, sweaters and sweatshirts and delivered them to Sylvia Johnson, in North Chicago. Thank you to Jane, Debbie and participating St. Mary's families for reaching out to help our neighbors in North Chicago.

Mothers Trust Celebrates

Mothers Trust Foundation recently celebrated ten years of helping children in need in Lake County by honoring retired founder, Barbara Monsor, and the many people who made it all possible. More than 70 people attended the event at the Gorton Center.

Barbara retired in the fall of 2008, but continues to be actively involved in the work of the Foundation. She remains on the Board of Directors as Executive Director Emeritus.

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Help Them To Hope, Inc. - Community-Wide Effort

Mothers Trust Foundation was honored in 2009 with a generous donation from the Help Them To Hope, Inc. campaign.

Established in 1959, Help Them To Hope, Inc. is a Lake County News-Sun charity that has been assisting people in need for more than 48 years.  It is a community-wide fundraising effort for businesses, organizations and individuals to come together during the holiday season to provide support and assistance for people in Lake County in need.

Traditionally, Thanksgiving Day kicks off the campaign, which continues through the first days of the New Year. The Lake County News-Sun provides a listing of individual donors as well as a total of campaign contributions.

Who knew more than 48 years ago, when a small group of pressmen at The News Sun started a modest in-house collection for people in need that it would grow into the organization it has become today? Since 1959, when the fund was opened to the public, it has generated over $2 million in direct contributions to assist the needy thanks to the support of a responsive community. It's an honor to have been chosen as one of this year's recipients.

Mothers Trust is grateful for the community outreach as we strive to help children in desperate need or crisis. We have helped more than 10,000 children in Lake County during the past 10 years. With the assistance of organizations like Help Them to Hope, Inc., we will continue our work of helping children when no one else can. In these difficult economic times, many of our requests come from people who never dreamed they would need to ask for help. We are grateful for the opportunity to change lives and are always encouraged when we see the willingness of those who have received our help reach out to help others.

Madden NFL 09 Charity Tournament

On a cold, snowy Saturday morning, when most teenagers would rather be at home sleeping, more than 100 students from Lake County High Schools Technology Campus went to school. On a Saturday. Their goal? To raise money for the Mothers Trust Foundation, a non-profit that provides emergency funding for children in need or crisis in Lake County.

Throughout the morning, seven teams competed in an Xbox Madden '09 video football tournament. Culinary students sold breakfast and lunch items they had prepared, a band played in the front entranceway collecting tips, and cosmetology students sold haircuts at a discount. Prior to the event, students at the high school gathered cash donations. Through these efforts, the students raised $2,743 for the Mothers Trust Foundation - funds that will be spent to help the most needy children in Lake County.

The Mothers Trust Foundation is a long-time supporter of students who attend Lake County High Schools Technology Campus. Drawing juniors and seniors from 22 neighboring high schools, the Tech Campus provides classes in culinary, computer science, auto mechanics, cosmetology, audio visual and computer graphic design, to name just a few. Students receive critical accreditation and in many cases, earn college credits for their work. But many students who are accepted into the programs cannot afford to buy the class materials that are necessary.

Enter Mothers Trust Foundation. In this current school year alone, MTF granted more than $10,000 to benefit 38 students at Lake County High Schools Technology Campus. Appreciative to the core, this was the students' chance to give back to the organization that gave them so much.

"Mothers Trust Foundation has done so much for so many of our students," said Erick Jones, Dean of Students. "We're just thrilled to support them in any way we can."

"This is a great honor for us," said Cheri Richardson, Executive Director of Mothers Trust Foundation. "The Tech Campus makes a difference in children's lives by helping them find their way in the world. I think Mothers Trust Foundation is similar. We make a difference in children's lives by letting them know that someone cares enough to help them."

Founded in 1998, Mothers Trust Foundation is a funder of last resort. Every week, MTF reviews requests for help from social workers, court officers and school counselors in Lake County who work with children in difficulty or crisis. Through its funding, MTF provides emergency assistance for the least fortunate children in Lake County - assistance no one else can provide.

Eyeglasses, after-school programs, athletic fees, dental services, bus passes, school clothes, tech class materials. Each of these needs represents an emergency to a child whose family cannot afford to pay for them, and an opportunity for Mothers Trust Foundation to fulfill its promise of helping kids when no one else can.

Read more from the Gazebo News article>>