Beacon Place News
  The sun's out, the kids are here, and the fun has started!
Where are you spending your summer? 










Summer Programs kicked off June 12 at Beacon Place and already things are in full swing! 
  • Over 200 kids are having nutritious food and having fun in our SummerLunch and Backpack Program
  • Over 100 kids are in our tutoring program working on math, reading, and science 4 hours a week
  • Over 30 moms, grandmas and friends have been active in our MOMS program
  • Over 20 kids in 4th-6th grade are busy in our Kids Garden
  • 18 students (7th -10th graders) in our Teens and
    Tweens Group studying the Habits of Mind book. 
  • Nearly 200 teen volunteers from 12 different high schools are working in all core programs
  • Ten interns from 7 different colleges/universities are leading programs and activities











If you have not yet made it up to Beacon Place this summer,  come up and join the fun! Email [email protected] to schedule a visit, or register to  volunteer now.  
 
Miguel Gomez and Ricardo Sandoval: 
Beacon Place Leadership and Service Award 
and Scholarship Recipients
Two special young men were recently recognized as the first recipients of the 
Beacon Place Leadership and Service Award and Scholarship
for their incredible commitment
over the last four years. Miguel Gomez and Ricardo Sandoval, both recent graduates of Cristo Rey St. Martin, began volunteering at Beacon Place in summer 2013.  

"Beacon Place has really pushed me to be the best I can be." Ricardo
R icardo and his family. 


Since that time, each one of them has volunteered over 800 hours, helping out several days a week, all year round. They have become role models for many of the other young children in the programs and have served in a variety of positions helping at the summer lunch program as well as at the after-school tutoring programs. Miguel will be continuing his education at Carthage College this fall majoring in education, while Ricardo will study civil engineering at Bradley University.Their mothers and younger brothers are also active in Beacon Place programs.  Our congratulations and thanks to Miguel and Ricardo for their amazing contribution to Beacon Place!
Miguel and his family.

"Beacon Place has really helped me. I have decided to become a teacher because of the work that I have done in the tutoring programs and working with kids. I want all kids to see their potential!" Miguel
Wendy Beaver, a volunteer who is 'hooked' on Beacon Place!
Wendy with some of her friends keeping it 'real' at Beacon Place!

If there is one word to describe Wendy Beaver, it's genuine. Fittingly, one might say that is what she loves most about Beacon Place. Having been directed to the organization by a friend after moving to Lake Forest, Wendy spent a lot of time exploring other volunteer opportunities around the North Shore. Coming off a string of experiences that didn't fit what she looking for, Wendy was searching for a community that felt legitimate and personal; Beacon Place fit the bill exactly.

  "I just feel so comfortable there giving my time...it is what it says it is, it's real." 

She admits she was at first hesitant about the idea of tutoring children and didn't  really know what to expect. However, after one session of tutoring, Wendy confidently states, "I was hooked."
Her skepticism in her role as a tutor completely evaporated after just one afternoon with the "amazing kids." That was all it took for her to see the incredible good that Beacon Place does for the kids, and vice versa.

"
We started to teach them that they can do things beyond what they may have previously expected...they can go to college, they can work at advanced levels in 
high school...they set their dreams and the sky is the limit!"

She's proudly watched as the first children she started with have grown and matured into confident high schoolers, and she speaks of their ambition and intelligence with the pride of an accomplished parent. She raves about all the students, and is deeply invested in watching them grow. 

It is clear that Wendy connects deeply with Beacon Place, and when discussing the ability to impact kids so close to home, she states that none of her past experiences with non-profits in the area have come close to the home she has felt going to work at Beacon Place. Wendy would doubtlessly encourage all her friends to just go once and try it, stating with a prideful certainty:

  "They'll be just as hooked as I am!"
Eat Good, Do Good!
   
   

Help support Beacon Place while enjoying a meal at Chipotle!
On
Monday, July 13, all day long,
Chipotle
945 Rockland Rd
Lake Bluff
will share 50% of their proceeds with Beacon Place!
So grab some friends, eat some awesome food, and do some good!
All you have to do is mention Beacon Place when you check out!

Mark your calendars and put your walkin' shoes on!


  
Beacon Place Community Walk-A-Thon 
 Monday July 24, 2017 11:00-1:00

At Beacon Place, the families who participate in our programs are anxious to work with us as partners to do what they can to support the programs their families enjoy.  Our Annual Community Walk-a-thon offers a perfect opportunity for the entire Beacon Place family of children, parents, grandparents, volunteers, and community members to come together. Each step we take earns money as s everal sponsors have pledged to donate money based upon how many laps/miles we complete.  

Come and join the walk or consider making a donation to help us increase the amount our families can raise!   Donations may be brought to the walk on Monday, July 24th,  may be mailed to our address below,  or, donations can be made on-line. 

Thank you to our corporate sponsors who make this event possible:
 

Our special thanks to......
...Bernie's Book Bank for a visit to our Summer Lunch Program
...Dogstyle Inc. for bringing their professionally trained dogs 
...Ron and Julie Ehrens, Lisa Marie Murphy for donating hundreds of water bottles for kids this summer
...Lake Bluff Baseball players and parents for summer food donations
...Lake County Health Department for conducting health screenings 
...Lake Forest High School Varsity and Sophomore Boys Basketball Teams for volunteering at Summer Lunch Program
...Legat Architects for design work on our garage renovation
...K Powell Services for re-painting our cellar doors
...Prairie Crossing Farm for bringing their wonderful produce to share with our Moms Group!

...And all of our amazing volunteers, donors and supporter who continue to help turn hope into dreams every day at Beacon Place! 
Do you shop on Amazon? If so, be sure and use Amazon Smile and a percent of every purchase will come to Beacon Place! Just visit the Amazon Smile website and select BEACON PLACE NFP as your charity of choice! 
 

DONATE TODAY


Beacon Place
603 S. McAlister
Waukegan, IL 60085
847-497-5787