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The District 128 Foundation for Learning is proud to announce the recipients of its 10th Annual Alumni Achievement Awards: Rachel Jacoby (Vernon Hills High School ‘14) and Patrick Slade (Libertyville High School ‘13). Jacoby and Slade will be honored at the Foundation’s annual fundraiser, THE BIG EVENT, on Saturday, Nov. 4 at Mickey Finn’s in Libertyville. Visit this link for complete details and to purchase tickets.

Rachel Jacoby is a proud graduate of Vernon Hills High School, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Previously an organizer with March For Our Lives, Rachel is currently a Gun Violence Prevention Specialist at the Lake County State's Attorney's Office. She has organized in Illinois, Massachusetts, and Washington DC in support of gun violence prevention legislation. Most significantly, she helped lead the grassroots organizing effort in support of the Protect Illinois Communities Act, which passed in early 2023, making Illinois the 9th state in the country to ban assault weapons. Rachel previously served as the Finance Manager for Giffords, a national nonprofit committed to ending gun violence and spent a year living and working as an English teacher in rural Malaysia on a Fulbright grant. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Rachel founded the nonprofit, Feed the Front Line, to support small businesses, frontline workers, and food insecure populations in the Chicago area. In her free time, Rachel works to increase political representation for Gen Z in elected office and is trying to perfect her chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Rachel was nominated for the award by VHHS CTE Teacher Kristin Schwarz.

Patrick Slade is an Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at Harvard University. He graduated from LHS in 2013 before completing his bachelor's at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and MSc, PhD, and postdoctoral studies in Mechanical Engineering and Bioengineering at Stanford University. He directs the Harvard Ability Lab which combines robotics, biomechanics, and human-centered AI to build intelligent health models and assistive devices. His work explores how to safely and effectively design and integrate human-robot systems so people can live healthier, more independent lives. His work focuses on solutions that are open-source and low-cost to make care accessible for underserved populations. Patrick was an NSF Graduate Research Fellow, named a Forbes 30 under 30 in healthcare, and has published in journals including Nature and Science Robotics.

Patrick was nominated for the honor by LHS Mathematics and Computer Science Teacher Teresa Elmore and LHS CTE Teacher Andrew Thomson.

Please visit this link for complete details about previous honorees and a link to the nomination form.

The Foundation for Learning deadline for submitting nominations for the 2024 Alumni Achievement Awards is August 15, 2024. The Alumni Achievement Awards, established in 2014, are presented annually to individuals who graduated from a District 128 high school at least five years prior to nomination, and who have made significant contributions, and demonstrated leadership and character in his/her field and to his/her community. Nominations are accepted on an ongoing basis and remain active for three years.

- The BIG EVENT 2022 Event Sponsors:

Jacobson & Tsou Orthodontics (Food Sponsor), Round Ground Metals, Inc (Food Sponsor), The Wadhwani Family (Entertainment Sponsor), Libertyville Bank & Trust (Beverage Sponsor), The Muniswamy Family (Dessert Sponsor)

- The BIG EVENT 2022 Sponsors:

Senior Level - Baxter Credit Union, Quest Foods

Junior Level -

Sophomore Level - CS2 Design Group, Gilbane, Lakeside Transportation, Northwestern Medicine - Lake Forest Hospital, STR Partners, Sunset Foods, Top Tec

Freshman Level - Arpino Orthodontics, Marjo Graphics

- The BIG EVENT 2022 Silent Auction Donors:

Alla Steinhaus, Arpino Orthodontics, Athleta, Austin's Saloon & Eatery, Bagels by the Book, Be Well Fitness & Glynn Chiropractic, Bears Fit, Bentley's Pet Stuff (Libertyville), Best Buy (Vernon Hills), Black Cat Yoga, Bluefish Sushi Bistro, Boston Fish Market (Wheeling), Bubble Bath Car Wash, Car Spa, Chicago Bears, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Wolves Hockey, Chipotle (Libertyville), Dazzling Designs by SJ, Denise Herrmann, Diane Phillips, Dick's Sporting Goods, Duck Donuts, Erica Rendall, First Spa Nails, Floyds Barber Shop (Vernon Hills), Four Seasons Homes, LLC, Frank Fitzgerald, Ganello's Pizza Company, Goodman Theatre, Harbor Kitchen & Tap, Home Depot (Vernon Hills), How Impressive!, Hunan Palace Chinese Restaurant, IL Nails Spa, Improv Playhouse, Joseph's Florist, Julie Cohen, Kara Bosman, Libertyville High School, LoLo's Bowls, Lou Malnati's Pizzeria (Libertyville), Lynfred Winery, Mambo Italiano, Mario Tricocci Hair & Salon, Marriott Theatre, Matt Tooley, Men's Wearhouse (Vernon Hills), Mobile Academics, Nancy Beaumont, Northlight Theatre, Nothing Bundt Cakes (Vernon Hills), Portillo's (Vernon Hills), REI (Vernon Hills), Rivers Casino, Rob Jacobson, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (Libertyville), Rolland's Jewelers (Libertyville), Salt of the Earth Salt Cave & Spa, School of Rock (Libertyville), Shake Shack, Shakou (Libertyville), Sky Zone Trampoline Park, Slyce Coal Fired Pizza Company (Vernon Hills), Sports 11, The Picnic Basket, The Pilates PT, Trader Joe's (Vernon Hills), Vernon Hills High School, Vernon Hills Village Golf Course, VHHS Swim School for Kids, Village of Vernon Hills, Wick 'N Ore, Wildberry Pancakes & Cafe (Libertyville), Wine and Spirit Warehouse, Zanies Comedy Club

-The BIG EVENT 2022 Students in Need Donors:

James Batson, Eric Beaumont, Nancy Beaumont, Cara Benjamin, Dale Eggert, Ken Eiserman, Jeremy Gong, Stacey Greenfield, Lisa Hessel, Rita Lillydahl, Vinod V. Patel, Dean A. Pedersen, Erica Rendall, Andrew Russell, Anand Setty, Jeffrey Slavish, Cherian Thomas, Jolly Thomas, Jayson Tran, Michelle Tran, Susan Wilms

-The BIG EVENT 2022 Financial Donors:

Bill & Joan Abbington, Thomas Barry, Katherine Buck, Joanna Friel-Wimmer, Juliana Furlong, Kelli Hartweg, Merzena Kowalska, Heidi Lechner, Debbie O'Hara, Diane Phillips, Mikhail Shor, John Snow, Michael Stevens

News

National Day of Giving, Tuesday, November 28

Thank you for your support of the BIG EVENT 2023

2023 Alumni Achievement Awards Winners Announced

D128 Foundation for Learning is looking

for volunteers who will make a difference

in the lives of LHS & VHHS students.

The D128 Foundation for Learning is run by volunteers who donate their time. We're always looking for new volunteers. We appreciate every helping hand we can get!

Committees are now forming for the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school year. Learn more about our volunteer opportunities by contacting

Diane Phillips at diane.phillips@d128.org or 847-247-4577.

4th Annual 1-28 Day of Giving Campaign:

January 26-28, 2023

Thank you to those that supported The BIG EVENT 2022!

The BIG EVENT 2022

The BIG EVENT 2022 Summary

- The BIG EVENT 2022 Event Sponsors:

- The BIG EVENT 2022 Sponsors:

- The BIG EVENT 2022 Silent Auction Donors:

-The BIG EVENT 2022 Students in Need Donors:

-The BIG EVENT 2022 Financial Donors: