The BIG EVENT 2024

Our 11th annual BIG EVENT BENEFIT will be held this year on Friday, November 8th at Austin's Fuel Room in Libertyville from 7:00 - 11:00 pm.

We are excited to announce this year's Alumni Achievement Award recipients:

Ike Reilly, LHS Class of 1980

Peter Lopez, VHHS Class of 2012

These distinguished alumni will be recognized at THE BIG EVENT BENEFIT so come on out and join the fun!

We are also excited to have SIDEWAYS, a LHS alumni/parent band, as our entertainment for the night!  Members of the band include Mark Chyna MD (bass guitar), Nick Kirk (keyboard & lead vocals), Mike Heimert (guitar), Phil Chung MD (lead guitar), Bill Coronelli (drummer), and Jerry Stuteville (keyboard). They will take the big stage at Austin's for a fantastic performance!

If you haven't purchased your tickets yet, there's still time! Tickets are $64/each - you can buy them online and they can also be purchased at the door.  And if you can't make it, please consider making a donation, or taking part in our 50/50 Raffle for Students In Need and Silent Auction online. You don't have to be present to win, but must be local so that winnings can be dropped off to your home.

All of the funds we raise will go towards our three key initiatives: DARING Innovation Grants, Students in Need and Senior Scholarships.

Event website for Tickets, Donations, Raffle & Silent Auction:

https://charityauction.bid/2024BigEventBenefit

D128 Foundation for Learning's

The BIG EVENT 2024

featuring SIDEWAYS (an LHS Alumni/Parent Band)

Friday, November 8, 2024, 7 - 11 pm

Austin's Fuel Room, Libertyville

Early Bird Price before 10/13 - $55 pp

Regular Price $64 pp

All proceeds benefit the students of LHS, VHHS and Transition Pathways

2024 Scholarship Winners

Congratulations to this year's recipients of the D128 Foundation for Learning Scholarships. These scholarships are awarded to D128 seniors who live the DARING mission.  Each recipient receives $500. Best wishes to all in your future endeavors!

2023-2024 DARING Innovation Grant Winners

Weekend of Giving 2024, 1/26 - 1/29

The D128 Foundation for Learning held its 5th Annual 1-28 Weekend of Giving campaign Jan. 26-29, 2024. All funds raised will go towards fostering innovation in our classrooms and assisting students in need. 

Since 2007, the Foundation has awarded 192 grants with a total funding for grants and projects of $434,125. The Students In Need fund, created in 2014, has provided $119,816 to VHHS and LHS students who are in difficult financial circumstances to meet their basic needs in order to be able to focus on learning. 

Donations are still be accepted. Visit this link to donate now.

Thank you for your support of the BIG EVENT 2023   

Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s Totally '80s Big Event. We LOVED seeing all the '80s spirit! Your efforts helped us raise a net profit of $37,337, a 17% increase from last year, to support our students in need and innovation in at Libertyville High School, Vernon Hills High School and Transition Pathways.

Stay in Touch! Follow us on Facebook to see updates on how D128 Foundation is using your generous donations at @D128Foundation.

Finally, we'd like to share this video as a reminder of how your donations will help our students.

Thank you again for your generosity!

With Gratitude,

Your Friends at D128 Foundation for Learning

2023 Alumni Achievement Awards Winners Announced

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.