Bar Foundation

Supporting our Community in Time of Crisis

There are many events that seemingly are indelibly seared in our collective conscience. Many of these kinds of fateful moments are easy to name: the assassinations, the invasions, the elections, the historic achievements of science and even of sport. For the oldest Americans, that unifying event might be the end of World War II. For Baby Boomers, perhaps the assassination of John F. Kennedy is a defining moment. For Millennials and Gen Xers, it may be the September 11, 2001, terror attacks. For those younger, the COVID-19 pandemic will have forever changed their worldview. For some, it could be watching in awe as Neil Armstrong first stepped foot on the moon. For others, perhaps, it is the memory of the US Olympic hockey team upset victory over the USSR, or the Cubs’ first World Series win in a century. While some of these moments are positive, many others are indisputably traumatic.

Collective trauma refers to a traumatic event that is shared by a group of people. It may involve a small group, like a family, or it may involve a broader community. People don’t necessarily need to have experienced the event first-hand in order to be affected and changed by it. When people hurt from collective trauma, our communities suffer.

When shots rang out on July 4, 2022, the lives of members of the Highland Park community were directly impacted and changed forever. “I will be haunted forever,” Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering has said of her experience living through this year’s Fourth of July parade.

The impact of this event is not localized to just Highland Park. Many in the broader Lake County community, and our own bar, suffered this collective trauma. This tragedy has shaken our collective community to its very core. Like so many events that came before it, the horror of that day will not soon fade. There are no words to express the depth of our sorrow for what has happened. Tragedy struck our families, our friends, our community, and our souls. What once seemed unimaginable here has left all of us in grief and many of our neighbors in need.

We as a profession can, and indeed must rise to the occasion, to lend our support and do what we can to mitigate the impact of this atrocity. As the philanthropic arm of the Lake County Bar Association, the Lake County Bar Foundation is committed to doing what we can to assist those directly impacted by the mass shooting. Among other

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Douglas Dorando President Kristie Fingerhut Vice President Perry Smith, Jr. Treasurer Joan Fratianni Secretary Nicholas Riewer Past President Jennifer L. Ashley Nandia Black Scott Gibson David Gordon Keith Grant Louise Hayes Fredric Lesser Steven McCollum Hon. Michael Nerheim Michael Ori Shyama Parikh John Quinn, Sr. Eric Rinehart Melanie Rummel David Stepanich Carey Schiever

BY DOUGLAS DORANDO PRESIDENT

things, the Foundation has provided its financial support to the Highland Park Community Foundation July 4th Highland Park Shooting Response Fund. All contributions to the Response Fund will go directly to victims and survivors or the organizations that support them.

We hope that the Foundation’s contribution will make a positive impact. But the reality of the situation is the need is far greater than what the Foundation can do by itself. I, on behalf of the entire Foundation Board, invite each of you to lend you support to this important effort. Donations can be made on line at https://www.hpcfil.org/ july-4th-highland-parkshooting-response-fund/ or by sending a check, payable to the Highland Park Community Foundation, to P.O. Box 398, Highland Park, IL 60035.

At this time of need, our profession and our community must band together. I call on each of you to please do what you can to help. Collectively we can make a difference. Thank you.

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