partners
Meet our generous partners that make this community possible.
Children and families living in greener environments tend to have more positive moods, lower stress levels, greater resilience, and more positive social interactions.
When neighbors share parks, trails, and green spaces, they also share something harder to measure: a sense of belonging and mutual care.
The Brushwood Center
Brushwood Center works collaboratively with community partners, artists, health care providers, and scientists to improve health equity and access to nature in Lake County, Illinois, and the Chicago region. We engage people with the outdoors through the arts, environmental education, and community action. Brushwood Center’s programs focus on youth, families, Military Veterans, and those facing racial and economic injustices.
Youth Conservation Corps
Youth Conservation Corps mentors and empowers young adults to succeed through education and training in life skills, career pathways, and environmental stewardship.
Lake County Audubon Society
Lake County Audubon Society connects people with nature by promoting appreciation, enjoyment, and understanding of birds, wildlife and the natural world. We work together in Lake County, Illinois to protect birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow.
Lake Forest Open Lands Association & the Center for Conservation Leadership
Lake Forest Open Lands Association is a conservation and education organization. We steward ecologically healthy open lands in perpetuity, preserving them as accessible places for all. We inspire and engage people and our partners to explore, understand, protect, and celebrate the natural world.
The Center for Conservation Leadership (CCL) is a community outreach initiative of Lake Forest Open Lands Association (LFOLA). While Lake Forest Open Lands focuses on land preservation, stewardship, and education within Lake Forest and Lake Bluff, CCL focuses on breaking down barriers to the natural world for communities throughout Lake County: fostering future conservation leaders through immersive outdoor experiences and community-based learning that ENGAGE, INSPIRE, and ACTIVATE.
The Josselyn Center
The Josselyn Center’s mission is to improve lives by providing quality mental health care for communities. Mental health for all ensures inclusive and equitable mental health care for everyone in our communities.
Waukegan Park District
The Waukegan Park District provides quality parks, facilities, and recreation opportunities to our diverse population through community involvement, dedicated staff, and responsible management.
The Lake County Forest Preserve District
The Lake County Forest Preserve District’s mission is to preserve a dynamic and unique system of natural and cultural resources, and to develop innovative educational, recreational and cultural opportunities of regional value, while exercising environmental and fiscal responsibility.
The City of Waukegan
The Boys and Girls Club of Lake County
Our mission is to inspire all young people, especially those who need us most, to fulfill their potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.
The Children and Nature Network
The Children & Nature Network’s mission is To increase equitable access to nature so that children – and the natural world – can thrive.
The Hunter Family Foundation
The Hunter Family Foundation strives to improve lives in sustainable ways by supporting families to access equitable opportunities to learn, play, and grow in their home communities.
Harold M. and Adeline S. Morrison Family Foundation
The Morrison Family Foundation supports champions of environmental justice who focus on equitable access to the outdoors.