The North Shore Weekend, July 1st, 2023

“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.”

- Coretta Scott King

CHOOSING GRATITUDE

A year after the shooting at the Highland Park 4th of July Parade, the Roberts family, and their son Cooper, who was partially paralyzed during the tragic event, have seen rays of light shine through the darkness of that day. pg8

with special guest

Lake Bluff HIstory Museum celebrates life on "The Lake" over the last century pg12

MATERIAL PURSUITS

From bespoke cuffs to a reinvented Range Rover, all this weekend's luxuries to your musthave list pg18

#HASHTAG

Meet Winnetka's Tara Maher and learn about her passions and interests p20

Penthouse Interior

Expansive Terraces

JOIN US FOR YOUR FAVORITES INCLUDING ALL-NATURAL WET-AGED PRIME STEAKS, BIG CRUNCHY SALADS, AND DAILY SPECIALS. OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK FOR DINE-IN AND TAKEOUT STARTING AT 4:30PM.

COMPLIMENTARY VALET IS AVAILABLE NIGHTLY. BOOK YOUR RESERVATION AT SOPHIASTEAK.COM

DINE-IN • TAKEOUT • PATIO • DELIVERY

10 walk for remembrance

Events will be held on July 4 to honor the victims of last year's parade shooting

10 service above self

Highland Park's safety forces were celebrated at a May 19 Rotary gala

12 to the beach and back

Lake Bluff History Museum unveils ”The Lake" exhibition on July 15

LIFESTYLE & ARTS

14 persian lessons

Film critic Rex Reed gives this compelling film set during the Holocaust a 3 star review

18 material pursuits

This weekend's must-haves include a Range Rover conversion, wellness retreat, and a cuff bracelet by Vhernier

20 #hashtag

Tara Maher of Winnetka leads outreach and engagement for Off Campus Writers' Workshop of Chicago

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

22 sunday breakfast

Glenview resident and Building Peaceful Bridges

Co-founder Lori Lucchetti helps refugees survive and thrive

John Conatser FOUNDER & PUBLISHER

ADVERTISING @NSWEEKEND.COM

Jennifer Sturgeon

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Michelle Crowe, Dustin O'Regan, Kemmie Ryan, Sherry Thomas, Megan Weisberg

FASHION EDITOR

Theresa DeMaria

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Mitch Hurst, Bill McLean, Ann Marie Scheidler

DESIGN

Linda Lewis PRODUCTION MANAGER/GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Chris Geimer ADVERTISING COORDINATOR/GRAPHIC DESIGNER

PHOTOGRAPHY AND ART

Tom Bachtell, Barry Blitt

ILLUSTRATION

Cheyanne Lencioni ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT ALL

BY MITCH HURST THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

Stories emerge out of the darkest of times. They can be stories of anger and of pain, of challenges and perseverance, of courage and uplift.

This spectrum of experiences and emotions has been at the heart of the journey of Highland Park’s Roberts family this past year. The mass shooting that terrorized parade goers at last year’s 4th of July Highland Park celebration altered lives forever.

Seven families lost loved ones, and countless more were injured. Among the victims was 8-year-old Cooper Roberts, who faced life-threatening injuries and, a year later, continues his rehabilitation. Cooper is currently paralyzed from the waist down and using a wheelchair.

“With the anniversary around the corner, we're like most survivors,” says Keely Roberts, Cooper’s mother, who also suffered a bullet wound to her foot during the shooting. “It’s weighing heavily on our minds. We've definitely spent some time reflecting on the past year and where we were that day—just like everybody else who was present.”

July 4, 2022, started out a beautiful day. Sunshine. Blue Skies. Perfect weather for a parade. Roberts, her husband Jason, and Cooper and his twin brother, Luke, were there, with so many others. There was light, and then the darkness descended. Bullets fired through the air and people scattered to escape, followed by the sound of sirens— police cars, fire trucks, ambulances.

And while that dark shadow lingers for both the community and the families impacted by the tragedy, Roberts says she and her husband agreed to live in the present and face the darkness head on. They would encourage their family to dwell not on what they’d lost with Cooper’s injuries, but what they had gained in the support from the community and beyond.

“When I think about where we are now a year later, we as a family have made the conscious decision to look at all the things that we have to be grateful for,” says Roberts. “One of the most important decisions we made very early on after the shooting was to fight the pull into the dark. It’s more that an urge. It’s an all-out pull. But the good we have seen from people far outweighs the darkness that hurt us.”

The big take away for the Roberts is that so much light has come from the tragedy, and as a family, they keep fighting. It is a struggle to keep moving forward every day, but they say it is possible because of

how blessed they feel to have so much love and support from local and regional communities, as well as from people around the country and the globe.

The family does experience rage and anger. There are moments when it’s incredibly hard, but for the most part, it's a testament to their Highland Park neighbors that Roberts looks around and feels fortunate. She and Jason teach their children the lesson of gratefulness.

“The juxtaposition of this experience for us is that we've been a victim of the worst of what people can do, but we've also been blessed by the very best in what people can do,” Roberts says. “There really is so much better in the world than there is bad. And although it is incredibly painful, and the road is long and steep, and there is a lot for which we grieve, there's also so much that we're thankful for.”

Roberts is particularly grateful for the love and support from the medical professionals Cooper and her family received since he was transported and admitted to the hospital the day of the shooting. From the initial treatment for his severe injuries through his rehab this past year, she says that support and Cooper’s resilience, even at his young age, together have given him a strong will to

improve.

“There is no quit in that boy and that is the truth. He is truly exceptional. I know my mom goggles are on, but I feel like I can be fact checked and be proven right on this. My chips are all-in on that kid,” Roberts says.

Cooper and his twin brother, Luke, were bonus babies, born 10 years after their other siblings. The two have always been deeply close. Roberts describes Cooper as sunshine in human form with a magnetic personality, both empathetic and athletic.

“He genuinely loves being a teammate, as much as he loves playing at any sport he's engaged in because that's just who Cooper is,” she says. “He cares about others more than he cares about himself. Even at his age, he’s friends with all of the girls and the boys. He came home last year from Valentine's Day with his backpack popping full of Valentine's from the whole school.”

Since the shooting, Cooper’s relationship with Luke has been emotional for Roberts to watch. The two of them, as twins, have never spent a moment of their life apart. Not a day. Not a night. Roberts has witnessed how the pair have figured out new ways support each other and care for each other.

“Luke is like this guard dog for Cooper, even though Cooper never needs it. Luke is

just so loyal, and so the sun rises and sets by Cooper for him,” Roberts says. “Luke is so concerned at all times with how Cooper is doing, what can he do for him, and I think that there are so many things that we're watching that I don't think Luke at this age is even aware of. He does it just because of that unspoken bond between twins.”

Since Cooper got started using a wheelchair, Luke won’t leave his side. Even the house is filled with many wheels, Cooper in his wheelchair, and Luke on his scooter. A recent NBC Today Show report showed the two riding together along a sidewalk at Lake Michigan.

“Luke won't get off his scooter, and he'll ride his scooter from the minute he wakes up until the minute he goes to bed, and he doesn't get off the scooter,” Roberts says. “Both boys’ feet don't hit the floor in the house because Cooper’s don't.”

Cooper and Luke’s parents tell the boys the one thing the experience of the last year can’t take away from them is their joy, that no one gets to lay on top of a building and try to kill your family and other people in your community. They can take many things, but they don't get to take their joy.

“I tell them as a family they own their joy, and we will fight tooth and nail to make sure that Luke and Cooper know that. They still have control over their happiness,” Roberts says. “I think that's so much part of a survivor's journey is that loss of control is really hard. It's really hard to deal with the fact that you couldn't control this or keep it from happening.”

The Roberts told the boys they haven’t lost who they are, that nobody gets to take the deep down inside piece of him that always made them Cooper and Luke. Nobody can take that. Keely said she recently reminded Luke that he's still the same Luke that held her hand and walked to the parade with her.

“It’s really important that they're going to focus on being happy in their life, whatever that life looks like. For Cooper, that's means right now we are working really hard to get him access to the best medical care we can,” she says. “Cooper wants to walk again.”

Cooper’s love of sports continues, and for now he’s playing adaptive sports. As soon as he was home from the hospital he wanted to head to the park and play tennis. There’s no quit in him. Luke sometimes takes to the other side of the net in a similar adaptive wheelchair and the two battle it out.

“We keep reminding Cooper and promising him that we’re going to do everything we can, and we don't break a promise,” Roberts says. “We always tell him the truth no matter how hard that is, but we’re always going to keep rehabbing and working on recovery. We don’t know what that’s going to look like, but there’s no limit.”

CHOOSING GRATITUDE From PG 1

Cooper Roberts has stayed upbeat and positive during his efforts to recover from the 4th of July shooting.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

There are a number of ways to support the Roberts family. Specific details are listed below. A Go Fund Me campaign has been established to raise funds for Cooper’s care and also for a new house that’s accessible for Cooper to easily move around in his wheelchair.

“It’s not just so Cooper has the freedom to physically move around, it’s an issue of dignity and independence,” Keely Roberts says.

• To contribute to the Go Fund Me Campaign for Cooper Roberts and the Roberts family, visit gofundme.com/f/coopers-home

The nonprofit charity Help Hope Live has established a fund in Cooper’s name and accepts donations by check or credit card.

• To Donate to the Cooper Roberts fund at Help Hope Live, checks can be sent to For Cooper Roberts, Help Hope Live, 2 Radnor Corporate Center, Suite 100, 100 Matsonford Road, Radnor, PA 19087. Online donations can be made by visiting helphopelive.org/campaign/21587.

On July 8 at 2 p.m., the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) will host “HP Cares for Cooper” at the Highland Park Recreation Center. VIP Ticket to the show are $75 and there is a suggested donation of $20 for general admission. All proceeds from the event go directly to the Roberts family.

• For tickets National Wrestling Alliance’s “HP Cares for Cooper” benefits, visit eventbrite.com/e/nwa-hp-cares-for-cooper-roberts-benefit-show-saturday-july-8th2023-tickets-656950254897.

Cooper Roberts of Highland Park continues his rehabilitation after being injured during the 4th of July shooting last year.

WALK FOR REMEMBRANCE

Residents of Highland Park and the surrounding area are invited to downtown Highland Park on July 4 to show their support for the community and remember the victims of last year’s shooting. While there is no official parade, there are a number of ways people can honor the victims’ legacies.

“We know that the day will be filled with emotion as we mark the one-year remembrance of the Highland Park shooting,” says Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering. “We have carefully planned events and activities that will allow our community the time and space to remember the seven individuals who were taken from us too soon, opportunities to gather and connect, and provide us with the chance to celebrate Independence Day together as we create new traditions and memories.”

The day will begin at 10 a.m. with a remembrance ceremony at City Hall. The ceremony will include a performance by the Highland Park Strings, remarks by Mayor Nancy Rotering and interfaith clergy, and a moment of silence at 10:14 a.m. when the

first shots were fired on July 4, 2022. The remembrance ceremony will be livestreamed on the city’s Facebook page and YouTube channel, and a recording will be made available on the city’s website after the holiday.

A community walk will begin at 11 a.m. with members of the community walking the parade route to symbolize the reclaiming of the town and building resiliency together. The community walk will step off from City Hall (1707 St. Johns Avenue) and progress north on St. Johns Avenue before turning west on Central Avenue, ending at Sunset

SERVICE ABOVE SELF

The Highland Park/Highwood Rotary gala on May 19 honored Highland Park’s safety forces.

“Service Above Self” was the resounding theme of The Rotary Club of Highland Park/ Highwood annual gala on Friday, May 19. The event, held at the stately Exmoor Country Club in Highland Park, recognized the leadership, bravery and daily steadfast service provided by the City of Highland Park and the suburb’s first responders.

After a gracious cocktail hour, the 125 guests were welcomed by Eric Ephriam, President of Highland Park Rotary and First Bank of Highland Park/First Bank Chicago.

“Tonight, we honor our brave first responders and city employees,” said Ephriam. “We are grateful for their service, not just on July 4th, but every day after and before. Their dedication, selflessness, relationships, and goodness are what makes our city special.”

Highland Park High School (HPHS) students Lili Richter and Jagger Barnes took to the podium to thank Rotary members for their funding and commitment to the HPHS Interact Club, a

community service club sponsored and supported by the Rotary Club of Highland Park/Highwood. The club encourages students to organize, plan and complete a variety of service activities as they conduct one service project each month.

“Due to the Rotary’s generous guidance, support, and funding we have been involved in significant community service projects,” said Lili. “This involvement has changed the lives of countless HPHS students who have been empowered by the gift of giving to others.”

Noting that the Interact Club is only as strong as its members, both girls were effusive in their praise of the commitment of their fellow Interact members.

“By being stronger together we can more effectively support local charities and uplift vulnerable populations,” said Jagger. Offering praise to the first responders, the students thanked the brave team for providing a clear example of “Service above self.”

Speaking on behalf of the City of Highland

Woods Park. People are encouraged to register for the walk in advance.

Beginning at 11:30 a.m., the Independence Day Community Picnic at Sunset Woods Park will bring together community members of all ages to enjoy live performances, food, and family-friendly games and activities.

“The picnic is an opportunity for families, friends, and neighbors to come together for a relaxing afternoon to enjoy each other’s company and our community, while also keeping the tradition of celebrating our country’s in-

dependence,” says Terry Grossberg, president of the Park District Board.

On the one-year anniversary of the shooting, there are still opportunities to support the victims through donations to the Highland Park Community Foundation. After the shooting last year, the foundation established the Together Highland Park Unidos Committee to manage donations to the Shooting Response Fund, which distributed $5.8 millions to victims of the tragedy.

While that fund closed in October, the foundation is continuing to support individuals and families through its July 4th Recovery Fund.

To register for the community walk on July 4 in Highland Park and for more information on the day’s events, visit cityhpil.com. To donate online to the Highland Park Community Foundation’s July 4th Recovery Fund, visit july4fund.org. Checks can also be sent to Highland Park Community Foundation, (memo line) July 4th Fund, P.O. Box 398, Highland Park, IL 60035.

Park Mayor Nancy Rotering noted, “When tragedy struck, our first responders were ready to deal with nightmare duty because of what they are trained to do every day. Our community came together to support one another with care and deep compassion.”

Adding to Mayor Rotering’s comments, HP City Manager Ghida Neukirch, said, “We are so proud of our Police and Fire Departments, and their team of 118 professionals, who responded in a swift, brave, selfless, and coordinated manner on that horrific day. They put aside their own trauma to help the community.”

Highland Park Police Chief Louis Jogmen and HP Fire Chief Joseph Schrage shared their pride in HP’s first responders.

“We are trained to be ready for the worst each day, so when tragedy struck, we were all in reflex mode,” said Chief Schrage. “Our team rushed downtown, and their immediate response saved lives. Whenever and wherever our community needs us, we will be there.”

Chief Jogmen praised the tireless efforts of his team, who worked 16-hour shifts during and immediately following the July 4th tragedy. “We continue to feel the love, respect, appreciation and partnership from this community,” he said.

The evening concluded with a raffle which raised funds for Rotary’s local community grants and scholarship programs, and a musical program provided by, Christian, a Zion-Benton High School student.

Rob Rotering, Mayor Nancy Rotering, Micah Swislow, Officer Greg Mendoza come out for the "Service Above Self" event hosted by The Rotary Club of Highland Park/Highwood.

There will be no July 4th parade in Highland Park the year, but the city is planning a number of events to remember the victims of last year’s tragedy.

TO THE BEACH AND BACK

Just in time for summer, Lake Bluff History Museum unveils its newest exhibit—”The Lake”—a detailed exploration of the village’s most valuable natural resource.

BY ANN MARIE SCHEIDLER THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

July 15 can’t come soon enough for the curators at the Lake Bluff History Museum. Its newest exhibit—”The Lake”—has been years in the making.

Covering the role Lake Michigan and its beach have played in the lives of those who have resided in Lake Bluff since 1875, Exhibit Director Pam Russell hopes that museum visitors will take away a new appreciation for one of the community’s greatest assets.

“It has taken us some time to pull this exhibit together because there is such a big story to tell,” Russell says of the small but mighty crew of museum volunteers who have been conducting the research. “How the beach was enjoyed in the Camp Meeting days, what it was like once Lake Bluff was incorporated, and how erosion may impact its future—there’s a lot to be said.”

The Lake Bluff History Museum, which shares a space with the Lake Bluff Library, provides a glimpse at local history and highlights topics deserving a more detailed look. These exhibits trace Lake Bluff’s evolution from a rural farm community to a summer resort, to the suburban community it is today, and link it to the bigger picture of what’s happening in our country as a whole.

As the story goes, it was in the late 1800s that a group of Methodist ministers purchased 100 acres of local lakefront property. The Lake Bluff Camp Meeting Association was formed and the little settlement was renamed “Lake Bluff.” The Association provided not only religious activities but also social, cultural, educational, and recreational programs.

Summer visitors were attracted to Lake Bluff to enjoy the beach and ravines and participate in the Camp Meeting activities. By the mid-1880s, there were more than 30 hotels and boarding houses—in varying degrees of luxury—plus a large tabernacle with seating for more than 2,000 people in what today is East Lake Bluff.

“There was an emerging middle class with leisure time on their hands because of the advances of the industrial revolution,” Russell says. “People had time to be away from the city during the summer months and these camps were the perfect destination. They appealed to all income levels.”

As the Methodist Camp Days came to an end, Lake Bluff incorporated and soon after, formed a Park District.

“Much like today, the Park District issued annual beach passes and they hired their first lifeguard,” Russell says with a laugh. “The only hired one and we have pretty detailed records of the breaks that one lifeguard on duty was given.”

Among the treasures available to be seen at The Lake exhibit are the beach tags residents had to affix to their swimsuits when they visited the beach. The metals used for the tags varied largely based on what was available during the years the United States was at war. There are also a number of suits on display to show what swimwear was in style throughout the decades.

Lake Michigan and its beach played a significant role in the social lives of Lake Bluff’s residents. In the 1950s, Lake Bluff’s volunteer firemen would catch smelt, freeze them, and then host a Smelt Soiree (serving fried smelt and coleslaw to the community). A social group called “Tab & Tennis” was formed that organized beach parties, carnivals, bonfires, and even prettiest baby contests. And in 1961, the Lake Bluff Yacht Club was founded, formalizing the community’s love for water sports that is still going strong today.

“One of the things that I found most interesting in working on this exhibit is that

the same things we complain about today— too many people parking at the beach, too many outsiders using the beach are the same things residents were complaining about 150 years ago,” Russell says. “Except instead of cars being the problem, it was the horses and buggies.”

While the recreational activities of Lake Bluff lakefront may be what draws people to the History Museum’s newest exhibit, it’s the information beachfront’s erosion that might leave the greatest impression.

“I think the environmental piece will be really surprising to people,” Russell says. “The impact the erosion and invasive species have had on the beach over the years are hard to ignore. I hope people who visit our exhibit take away a greater appreciation for the lake and how important it is that we take care of it.”

“The Lake” will open to visitors at the Lake Bluff History Museum on Saturday, July 15. To learn more, visit lakebluffhistory.org.

Lake Bluff beach in 1966

Photograph courtesy of Suzy Norman

Photograph courtesy of the Lake Bluff History Museum

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PERSIAN LESSONS

While flawed, this German-Russian film has an intriguing premise and a unexpected resolution.

RUNNING TIME: 2 hours, 7 minutes

RATING: 3 stars

BY REX REED THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

Appearing without much fanfare among the bigger, flashier, and more idiotic summer entries, Persian Lessons is a small German-Russian co-production I found superior to the rest of what I’ve been suffering through lately.

Expertly mounted, beautifully acted, and meticulously detailed, it’s another harrowing Holocaust drama in the line of endless films about World War 2—notable primarily as a rare entry in the filmography of Vadim Perelman, the highly regarded director of House of Sand and Fog.

Set in Nazi-occupied France in 1942, the story begins when a young French Jew named Reza, the son of a Belgian rabbi, is captured by the Germans and forced into a truck on its way to a concentration camp and certain death by firing squad.

On the road, he gets into a conversation with another starving passenger and sympathetically trades half of his sandwich for a book of Persian folk tales. The act is seemingly pointless, but it ends up saving his life.

Insisting he’s not a Jew but a Persian, nobody believes him, but by sheer luck, it turns out that an SS commandant in the camp named Koch is looking for a Persian to teach him Farsi. Koch, who worked as a chef before the war, doesn’t know a single word in Farsi but needs to learn enough vocabulary to open a German restaurant after the war in Teheran.

Reza doesn’t know how to speak Farsi either, but bravely pretends he does, using the words in the book he acquired on the truck, hatching a clever plan to invent a language of his own. Koch rewards him with better food from the kitchen reserved for the officers and rescues him from savage beatings and manual labor in the stone quarry in exchange for Persian

lessons, unaware that Reza is making it all up, using the same word is Farsi for both “bread” and “tree.”

The movie is too long and too slow, but the premise is intriguing enough to hold interest. I would have liked it more if it was a true story, not a fable, but still … today, if a movie is even weakly engaging, it’s a cause for rejoicing.

Chief among the flaws in Persian Lessons is the director’s tendency to slow down the narrative by spending an inordinate amount of time showing people shoveling snow, slicing bread, and wandering away from the central plot to illustrate the conflicts among Reza’s fellow prisoners, the jealousies and resentments among the German officers, and the brutality in the barracks.

Too many characters with unclear motives need more definition, and the inferred erotic obsession the develops between Koch, the Nazi captor, and Reza, his Jewish prisoner, seems particularly contrived.

Nahuel Perez Biscakyan, an actor from Argentina who works in French films, is very good as the tortured Reza, but although the movie centers on the things he does to survive, his character is under-developed. As the role of Koch expands, we actually learn more about the German commandant, wonderfully played by Lars Eidinger.

The surprise ending, when the tables turn and we see what happens to Koch when he tries to apply what he learned about his Persion lessons to his advantage in leaving the country, is devastating.

Not a great film, but in many ways extraordinary, unpredictable, and memorable.

Illustration by Tom Bachtell

Famed film critic Rex Reed weighs in on Persian Lessons

This weekend’s curated luxury trends

FOREVER CLASSICS

There’s something about a vintage Range Rover that evokes quintessential British sophistication and grace. Produced as a sub-brand of the Jaguar Land Rover marque, the early Range Rover captured the world’s attention, earning it a spot in an exhibition at the Louvre Museum in the early 1970s where it was noted as an “exemplary work of industrial design.” Times, however, have changed, and so has technology. And now, thanks to the vision of UK-based Inverted, the Range Rover of the 20th century is getting a new life as a Tesla-like, “restomod” electric car. Inverted works directly with its clients to update the Range Rover’s interiors with custom materials and a bespoke design that preserves its English provenance. According to the Inverted website, the process is sensitive to the classic style of the car, but modern in approach by reducing the vehicle’s impact on the environment. “Our cars are not only beautifully restored but deliver high performance, with a desire to create an enhanced driving experience remaining core to everything we do,” it says. “Beautiful, reliable, and sustainable classic cars, ready for a long and exciting future.” For more information, visit inverted-ev.com.

INNOVATIONS IN WELLNESS

Grand Geneva Resort & Spa in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin is launching a new Innovations in Wellness retreat this October 19 to 20. In collaboration with Milwaukee’s Golden Rey Integrative Medical Center, this new retreat is designed to activate and reconnect the mind, body, and spirit while focusing on key wellness elements including nutrition, exercise, sleep, and stress management. All this, while also supplying guests with a personalized wellness experience and their very own wellness concierge. With its WELL Spa + Salon, fitness center, and a plethora of outdoor and indoor activities on the 1,300-acre campus, Grand Geneva is a one-stop destination for relaxation, active lifestyle, and wellness year-round. Innovations in Wellness will incorporate several of the resort’s facilities in this new fall retreat—CBD massages, sports activities, and nutrition-focused culinary demonstrations led by the resort’s chefs. The event will also offer select therapies from Golden Rey Integrative Medical Center including hyperbaric oxygen therapy and IV nutrient therapies. To book your spot, visit grandgeneva.com/wellness/innovationsin-wellness.

COUCHER DE SOLE

Since its origins, Vhernier has researched and expressed an essential marriage with art and culture. Each jewel contains worlds of inspiration, ranging from architecture to art, passing through design. Coucher de Sole translates to sunset. This exquisitely designed pink, gold, and brown, bronze cuff bracelet is layered with 18-karat pink gold and brown bronze with split opening was designed after the sunsets on the French Riviera. Vhernier was born from the audacity of a unique vision—to create a totally new jewel, not seen. It’s contemporary, different from everything, with an exceptional fit. And this stems from the desire to free women from the restrictions of dated and conventional elegance, giving them the opportunity to stand out with a new and relevant style. Every Vhernier jewel contains a world of inspiration. This piece is priced at $31,400 and available at bergdorfgoodman.com.

the Bar Since

EDITED BY DUSTIN O'REGAN ILLUSTRATION BY TOM BACHTELL

#ON MY NIGHTSTAND

I’m in summer mode for book picks with the recent warm weather. The towering pile on my bedside table includes Shoulder Season by Christina Clancy, a novel with Lake Geneva featured as the backdrop, and The Beach Trap by AliBrady, which drips with family drama and sizzling beachy romance. When focused on career versus pleasure reading, I pull from the stack Before and After the Book Deal by Courtney Maum, which offers bountiful information on establishing successful practices for writers in all stages of their careers. Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout, joins the bedside pile, falling between a pleasure read and a learning tool since reading books by renowned authors is crucial to a writer’s personal growth.

#ON MY MOBILE

Like others, I’m an Instagram addict, homing in on accounts that inspire, enlighten, or spawn creativity. On my follow list: Feng Shui advisor and decluttering specialist Kim Downey @ elevateyourspacefengshui, writing coach @camillepagan, a tribe of like-minded writers @womensfictionwriters, beloved airline pics @aviation_stories, and “life is an adventure” @davidveed58.

#IN MY EARBUDS

Being a busy mom and community volunteer eats up the clock, so like many others, I’ve turned to audiobooks when on the go. Currently, I tool down Sheridan Road listening to the literary novel Horse by Geraldine Brooks, which is a book club pick, and Wherever the Wind

Takes Us by Kelly Harms, a witty and wonderful novel about unexpected joy in life’s second act that’s prepping me for the sailing season. Or I’m plugged into a podcast. Most recently, The Moth, a shortstory podcast where talented writers give voice to their work, and Pop Fiction Women podcast, with author Curtis Sittenfeld showcasing her newest novel, Romantic Comedy, in the Complicated Conversations Series.

After a career of teaching others that the sky’s not the limit, but a place for achieving dreams, former flight attendant trainer TARA MAHER of Winnetka plays a new role. Maher channels her energy into elevating and connecting fellow writers as the Director of Community Outreach & Engagement for the Off Campus Writers’ Workshop of Chicago (OCWW). A craft-based learning organization, OCWW sprung to life 75 years ago when several North Shore women writers who, wanting their voices heard, rejected the repression of the times. Scott Turow’s mother and others gathered weekly at Winnetka’s Community House to support one another and practice the craft of writing. Off Campus still meets Thursday mornings during the school year at Winnetka’s Community House, and with the gift of technology, the talks are presented simultaneously on Zoom. OCWW is a chance for beginners to best sellers to gather in community and learn from the accomplished, including such authors as Rebecca Makkai, Peter Orner, and Jennifer Eagan, to name a few. When not immersed in helping others discover the writer within, Maher, a mother of two and devoted guardian to Sheepadoole Saylor, finds inspiration for her novels by walking the beaches of Great Lake Michigan and soaking in the blue skies above.

A BRIDGE TO SELF-SUFFICIENCY

Glenview resident and Building Peaceful Bridges Co-founder Lori Consadori Lucchetti walks with refugee families on their path to belonging in the U.S.

BY BILL MCLEAN ILLUSTRATION BY BARRY BLITT

Lori Consadori Lucchetti’s favorite example of the American spirit played out warmly after Winnetkan and philanthropist Ann Balusek read a Chicago Tribune feature about political refugee Ahlam Al-Jebory.

Al-Jebory had arrived in the Chicago area in 2008 following a harrowing ordeal in her native Iraq and later in Syria. She fled her country after being kidnapped by al-Qaeda for running a humanitarian aid center during the war in Iraq. As a refugee in Syria, Al-Jebory helped foreign journalists report the truth, set up a makeshift school for displaced girls, and served as the unofficial leader of the refugee community in Damascus.

Syrian authorities grew suspicious of the mother of three, before arresting her and imprisoning her for five months.

“Not long after Ahlam (now 58 and a resident of Skokie) settled as a newcomer here, Ann read all about her in the newspaper,” Lucchetti, a Glenview resident since 1988, recalls. “The piece chronicled all that Ahlam was doing to assist refugees near where she lived. A refugee helping refugees, here in America—Ann couldn’t believe it.

“She contacted Ahlam and said, ‘I want to help you.’”

Al-Jebory accepted the generous offer from Balusek, a board member of the Mammel Foundation.

Lucchetti later met Al-Jebory and the pair formed Glenview-based Building Peaceful Bridges (BPB) in 2018. It’s a nonprofit organization supporting people of all faiths whose mission is to foster multicultural relationships by assisting in the integration of refugees into American society and educating communities on the challenges facing refugee populations through their stories. It also provides food, clothing, furniture, and household items to newcomers. BPB’s overriding approach is to bridge the hearts and minds of all people.

Lucchetti also serves at BPB’s president, while Al-Jebory is a tireless case manager for three of BPB’s current roster of 17 families. Countries of origin have included Afghani-

stan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Syria, Sudan, Iraq, and Burma. Many of the newcomers (political refugees, asylees, and humanitarian parolees) have resettled in Cook County.

“We seek to help refugee families thrive, not just survive,” says the 67-yearold Lucchetti, who majored in po litical science at Villanova Univer sity and worked for the commercial side of SC

Johnson Wax in Racine, Wisconsin, for 10 years after a stint in political consultancy in Washington, D.C. “We partner with refugee resettlement agencies by bridging the gap between the refugees’ initial government support and newcomers gaining a sense of belonging and independence. We’re an organization with a lot of heart, advocating for social and economic justice for all refugees who enter the U.S.

“I’m proud of our community and what we stand for,” continues Lucchetti, adding BPB was modeled after the framework and values of the Mammel Foundation. “We work with churches, synagogues, mosques. We also work at a local level at being truly American, and that calms a newcomer fam-

Al-Jebory, who became a U.S. citizen in 2013, is the courageous and resilient subject of the 2016 book A Disappearance in Damascus: Friendship and Survival in the Shadow of , written by Deborah Campbell, a journalist who hired Al-Jebory to provide her with reliable information and contacts after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2007.

become an astronaut.

“NASA wrote me back,” Lucchetti says. “I was thrilled about that, until I opened the letter and found out they didn’t take women.”

She attended Commack South High School, where she played the violin, served as Student Council treasurer, and competed in a number of sports, including field hockey, volleyball, basketball, and softball.

“You never forget your favorite coach,” Lucchetti says. “I remember Miss Locasto well. She coached volleyball, field hockey, and basketball. She was young and energetic, always eager to pump us up before every game.”

Lucchetti would become a coach herself, first for a kindergarten soccer team and then for a fourth-grade basketball squad. Marius, her son with husband Bob, suited up for both units. Marius is 24 years old and an Illinois State University graduate.

“I stressed fundamentals and teamwork as a coach, while being encouraging and compassionate,” Lucchetti says.

She embodies those traits today—minus the coach’s whistle and sound game plans.

“Lori has such a big heart, as huge as the universe,” says Al-Jebory, whose daughter, Roqayah Mohammed, an Evanston Township High School graduate, is a BPB mentor and a member of the nonprofit’s Operations Department. “She calms me down, with her sweet voice and organizational skills.

“Lori,” she adds, “is a great leader.”

“I first met Ahlam when she was looking after a local child at a home while 12 of us were there for scripture study,” says Lucchetti, a parishioner of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Glenview. “Her story is remarkable and moving. She educated us; we then educated others. Ahlam and I connected and shared a vision before we created Building Peaceful Bridges. Ahlam is fearless, faith-oriented, and gracious. She makes things happen.

“We talk every other day.”

Lucchetti grew up on Long Island, New York, and at the age of five, all things NASA fascinated her, particularly the launches to space. So she wrote NASA one day, hoping to discover what it would take for her to

BPB’s annual event, Gather for Good, takes place November 30, 6-9 p.m., at Libanais, a restaurant in Lincolnwood. Last year’s event raised more than $40,000 to support five Afghanistan families and initiated BPB’s Affordable Housing Fund.

“It’s been an amazing journey for all of us at Building Peaceful Bridges,” Lucchetti says. “We invite others to join us as we mark our fifth year. You’ll give a lot, but you’ll also get a lot in return because your life will change for the better as you’re changing the lives of our new neighbors for the better.”

For more information about BPB (1400 Patriot Boulevard, P.O. Box 535, Glenview, IL, 60026), visit buildingpeacefulbridges.org or call 847-773-7484.

We seek to help refugee families thrive, not just survive.

Lori Consadori Lucchetti