Libertyville Days Festival Benefits Community

Did you know that help raises funds for more than just Libertyville Civic Center Foundation?

, but it also raised $5,000 for each of the three civic groups that helped run the festival.

Each civic group put in about 400 hours of volunteering to plan, organize and run the four-day festival, according to Anne Carlino, director of Libertyville Civic Center Foundation.

History of Libertyville Civic Center Foundation

Back in the 1960s, Libertyville Days Festival was taken over by civic groups in the community and festival proceeds were divided among the groups, according to Carlino.

In the late ’80s, the three main civic groups that ran — the Libertyville Lions Club, Knights of Columbus and Libertyville Junior Woman’s Club — decided that they needed a permanent place to host meetings and events.

“They were already working together in the festival environment, so they decided instead of the proceeds being divided amongst the groups, to hold back some of the proceeds into an account that would be utilized toward the purchase of a building,” Carlino said.

The building that houses , 135 W. Church St., was built in 1935 and served as a post office until 1992. When the post office decided it was moving in the early ’90s, the civic groups focused on obtaining the building.

“The civic groups approached the village and said if you were to buy the building, then we would form a foundation to operate and manage it, and that’s how the foundation was formed,” Carlino said. “The village contributed by purchasing the building, the clubs contributed by renovating the building.”

also contributed by awarding the foundation grant money to use for the building.

Since opened in 1993, the proceeds from have been shared between Libertyville Civic Center Foundation, Libertyville Lions Club, Knights of Columbus and Libertyville Junior Woman’s Club.

The foundation receives a larger portion to help cover the cost of maintaining the center, and whatever remains is divided among the other civic groups.

Carlino says festival proceeds vary from year to year and they were glad that this year’s festival was able to raise some funds for the foundation and civic groups.

Helping the Hearing-, Visual-Impaired With Equipment

For the Libertyville Lions Club, the proceeds will be used to help pay for eye glasses, eye exams, hearing aids and equipment for people, according to Dan Kniola with Libertyville Lions Club.

“Our goal is to help vision and hearing impaired, because we believe nobody should be blind or not hearing if we have the remedy,” Kniola said.

This year, the club shared its proceeds with the Vernon Hills Lions Club, which also helped at the festival.

“It’s very expensive to run a carnival, and margins are tight; one bad-weather day could diminish funds,” Kniola said. “In the past two to three years we didn’t even take the $5,000 because we have to invest in the Civic Center.”

Offering Food Baskets to Those in Need

The Knights of Columbus typically puts festival proceeds into its regular funds and uses it for items such as food baskets or replacing items as needed for the nativity scene the group puts in Cook Memorial Park annually, according to John Sullivan, treasurer for Knights of Columbus.

“We donate food baskets during Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas to local charities,” Sullivan said.

Awarding Grants, Scholarships to Women

Libertyville Junior Woman’s Club uses the proceeds to benefit charitable organizations.

“Our proceeds from the festival go primarily toward grants to various Lake County charitable organizations, and to fund two scholarships,” said Jessica Brown, of the Libertyville Junior Woman’s Club.

Every two years, the club awards grants of a few hundred dollars each to around 15 local organizations. And any charitable organization is welcome to submit an application for the grant, according to Brown.

“In the past, some of the groups we’ve supported include , The Lake County Haven, YWCA of Lake County, and Willow House,” Brown said.

The club also sponsors two scholarships annually for local women. One is given to a high school senior from Libertyville, Vernon Hills or Carmel High School. The other is awarded to a working mother who also is pursuing post-secondary education, according to Brown.

“Our role in Libertyville Days is such a wonderful opportunity for us; we are all able to be a part of a much-loved community event, and doing so enables us to support worthy causes and individuals in Libertyville and beyond,” Brown said.