40TH ANNUAL SMITH NATURE SYMPOSIUM AWARDS DINNER
Celebrate!
Connecting to Our Common Ground
Celebrate!
Connecting to Our Common Ground
HONORING 2023 ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP AWARD RECIPIENT
Writer, Activist, and TV Host
BARATUNDE THURSTON
with Emcees: Bill Kurtis and Donna La Pietra
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2023
6:00 PM, GREENBELT CULTURAL CENTER
1215 N. GREEN BAY ROAD, NORTH CHICAGO, IL
Join Brushwood Center as we celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Smith Nature Symposium and honor the exceptional leadership and commitment of our 2023 honoree Baratunde Thurston as a storyteller and climate activist.
Writer, Activist, and TV Host
BARATUNDE THURSTON
with Emcees: Bill Kurtis and Donna La Pietra
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2023
6:00 PM, GREENBELT CULTURAL CENTER
1215 N. GREEN BAY ROAD, NORTH CHICAGO, IL
Join Brushwood Center as we celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Smith Nature Symposium and honor the exceptional leadership and commitment of our 2023 honoree Baratunde Thurston as a storyteller and climate activist.
Ticket Purchase Deadline: Friday, September 22, 2023
"I WANT PEOPLE TO SEE THE OUTDOORS AS A PLACE WHERE WE CAN LITERALLY EXPERIENCE COMMON GROUND AMONG THE WIDE RANGE OF DIFFERENCES THAT MAKE UP THIS NATION." - BARATUNDE THURSTON
Baratunde Thurston is an Emmy-nominated, multi-platform storyteller and producer operating at the intersection of race, tech, democracy, and climate. He is the host and executive producer of the PBS television series America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston, creator and host of How To Citizen with Baratunde which Apple named one of its favorite podcasts of 2020, and a founding partner of the new media startup Puck.
|
Watch the new season of AMERICA OUTDOORS with BARATUNDE THURSTON! The show returns September 6, 2023 with a brand-new season as the best-selling writer, podcaster and comedian travels the country to uncover our complex relationship with the outdoors. From biologists saving snapping turtles to BIPOC mountain bikers, Baratunde meets a fascinating cast of characters with one thing in common: a passion for being outside. |
2023 Emcees Donna La Pietra and Bill Kurtis
Bill Kurtis and Donna La Pietra emceeing the 2022 Smith Nature Symposium Awards Dinner
|
Donna La Pietra and Bill Kurtis will grace the stage as Emcees of the 40th Annual Smith Nature Symposium. Their contributions to news-broadcasting, documentary film production, and conservation have made them longtime legends in Chicagoland. After starting his career as a journalist, Bill became the news anchor for CBS at Chicago’s WBBM Channel 2, where he met Donna, who would become the channel’s Executive Producer. Bill is also the judge and voice of the popular news radio show, Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! Donna and Bill are known for their documentary film production company, Kurtis Productions, and for their devotion to supporting local non-profits. |
Your generous support is vital to advancing Brushwood Center’s impact. The Smith Nature Awards Dinner is Brushwood Center’s largest fundraising event of the year, and all funds raised from the evening directly benefit our programs for youth, families, and Veterans across our community.
Ticket Purchase Deadline: Friday, September 22, 2023
CELEBRATING 40 YEARS!
Ellen and Dutch Smith
|
On May 6, 1984, more than 350 people gathered for the first Smith Nature Symposium featuring Roger Tory Peterson. Organized under the leadership of Barbi Donnelley, Symposium Co-Chair, this jam-packed convening of nature-lovers became the first of four decades of annual Symposia memorializing the significant civic legacy of Hermon Dunlap and Ellen Thorne Smith, who donated their land and cabin to help form Ryerson Woods. Hermon, or Dutch, was chair and CEO of Marsh & McLennan, and led The Chicago Community Trust, Newberry Library, and many other Chicago Institutions. Ellen was a philanthropic leader and champion of nature with organizations such as The Field Museum and Chicago Zoological Society. |
Today, the Smith Nature Symposium continues to inspire action for our
common ground through collaboration, community, and the enormous impact of honorees spanning the decades.
common ground through collaboration, community, and the enormous impact of honorees spanning the decades.
PAST HONOREES
|
1984 – Roger Tory Peterson
1985 – Dr. George Archibald 1986 – Walter T. Fisher 1987 – Nancy Ryerson Ranney 1988 – Dr. John Fitzpatrick 1989 – Maxine Hunter 1990 – E. Leland Webber 1991 – Barbara C. Donnelley 1992 – Susan Spears 1993 – Abbott Laboratories 1994 – Roy O. Gromme 1995 – Bill Kurtis 1996 – Fran Harty |
1997 - Dr. Melvin Taylor
1998 – Dr. William Beecher 1999 – Andrea S. Moore 2000 – Adele Simmons 2001 – John McCarter 2002 – George A. Ranney, Sr. 2003 – Dr. George Rabb 2004 – John Ragner 2005 – Dr. Debra K. Moskovits 2006 – Chicago Wilderness 2007 – Gerald W. Adelmann 2008 – Cameron Davis 2009 – Barbara Whitney Carr 2010 – Stephen Bartram |
2011 - William D. Sturm
2012 – Steven Apfelbaum 2013 – Dr. Douglas F. Stotz 2014 – Joel Greenberg 2015 – Victoria and George A. Ranney, Jr. 2016 – Judith Stockdale 2017 – Deborah Lahey 2018 – Robert Redford & Sibylle Szaggers Redford 2019 – Amory Lovins and Judy Hill Lovins 2020 – Bill McKibben and Sue Halpern 2021 – Winona LaDuke 2022 – Cristina Mittermeier & Paul Nicklen 2023 – Baratunde Thurston |
|
Smith Nature Symposium 40th Anniversary Chairs
Honorary Co-Chairs Barbara C. Donnelley Adele Simmons Co-Chairs Robert Heinrich Jacalyn Ramdin-Johnson |
Host Committee
Adam Carson and Nydia Gonzalez-Carson Maria Colunga Teresa H. Horton Heidi Kiesler Karen and Bob Lewis Suzanne Malec-McKenna and Joe Ferguson Celeste Flores and Thomas Maillard Judy and Tony Iacuzzi Jean Meilinger and John Schneider Lois Morrison and Justin Daab Andrea S. Moore Lorra Rudman Ellen Rudnick and Paul Earle A. Gail and Bill Sturm Barbara Waller Kimberly Waller |
BECOME A SPONSOR TODAY!
|
SPONSORSHIP BENEFITS:
• Directly support programs in our community for youth, families, seniors, and Veterans. • Name recognition opportunities throughout the Smith Series. • Celebrate at the in-person Awards Dinner and closing VIP event, honoring Writer, Activist and TV host Baratunde Thurston. • Join a community of supporters committed to a thriving and equitable world for people and nature. |
YOUTH ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP AWARDEES
|
Eliana Bernat Eliana Bernat grew up in Vernon Hills, and is currently a sophomore at University of Wisconsin-Madison studying Chemistry. Eliana has spent years gaining experience in environmental justice work, serving as a Youth Ambassador for Brushwood Center's Collaborative Conversations: Anti-racism & the Environment Youth Cohort back in 2021, and interning at Clean Power Lake County. This past summer, she served as the Green Chemistry Intern for Coming Clean, an environmental health collaborative. Eliana wants to further environmental justice work through her career in chemistry, and is planning to put the award towards her continued studies. |
|
Tyler Bolden Tyler Bolden was born and raised in Lake County, and is currently a Junior at Warren Township High School. Tyler's love for the environment comes from his time as both a student and volunteer with Cool Learning Experience, where he has connected with all kinds of nature spaces and helped others connect as well. He is passionate about doing his part to create a clean, healthy future for others, and wants to bring this community-focus to a future career in business. Tyler plans to put the awards towards the cost of his future college education, and aspires to start his own accounting/personal finance business for people who struggle with budgeting. |
The 2023 Youth Environmental Leadership Awards are sponsored by A. Gail and William Sturm and Rosalyn and Geoff Deigan.
SPECIAL THANKS
Botanical Art by Heeyoung Kim
Michael Kardas Photography
Seven Springs Drum
Bambi Rogers Events
Michael Kardas Photography
Seven Springs Drum
Bambi Rogers Events
SPONSORS
In Formation
COLLABORATOR
Amy and Rob Heinrich
Jennifer Steans and Jim Kastenholz
AMBASSADOR
Thomas Donnelley and Barbara C. Donnelley Family Fund of The Donnelley Foundation
Harold M. and Adeline S. Morrison Family Foundation
Judy and Tony Iacuzzi
Jean Meilinger and John Schneider
Lois Morrison and Justin Daab
Ellen Rudnick and Paul Earle
Adele Simmons
A. Gail and Bill Sturm
FRIEND
Henry and Lele Barkhausen
Baxter Credit Union
Winnie and Bob Crawford
Jacalyn and Carl Johnson
Heidi Kiesler
Karen and Bob Lewis
Suzanne Malec-McKenna and Joe Ferguson
Martha Twaddle and Tom Millar
Andrea S. Moore
Melanie and Edward Ranney
George and Vicky Ranney
Lorra Rudman
In Formation
COLLABORATOR
Amy and Rob Heinrich
Jennifer Steans and Jim Kastenholz
AMBASSADOR
Thomas Donnelley and Barbara C. Donnelley Family Fund of The Donnelley Foundation
Harold M. and Adeline S. Morrison Family Foundation
Judy and Tony Iacuzzi
Jean Meilinger and John Schneider
Lois Morrison and Justin Daab
Ellen Rudnick and Paul Earle
Adele Simmons
A. Gail and Bill Sturm
FRIEND
Henry and Lele Barkhausen
Baxter Credit Union
Winnie and Bob Crawford
Jacalyn and Carl Johnson
Heidi Kiesler
Karen and Bob Lewis
Suzanne Malec-McKenna and Joe Ferguson
Martha Twaddle and Tom Millar
Andrea S. Moore
Melanie and Edward Ranney
George and Vicky Ranney
Lorra Rudman
THE 2023 SMITH SERIES EVENTS
|
Visible
Art Exhibition Sunday, June 11th - Saturday, September 2nd Brushwood Center’s exhibition, Visible, presents artworks from twenty-six artists from Lake County, Chicago, and beyond. This exhibition consists of interviews, maps, and artworks highlighting how systemic inequities impact people’s access to a healthy environment, and how our resilient community is already working to create change. Photo: Liberation, 2020 | Dawaune Lamont Hayes |
|
CONNECTING TO OUR COMMON GROUND Art Exhibition Sunday, September 10th - Sunday, October 29th Opening, Sunday September 10th Join this special exhibition in honor of our 2023 Smith Nature Symposium Awardee, Baratunde Thurston. Brushwood Center, in partnership with Hyde Park Art Center and collector, artist, and environmental scientist Patric McCoy, presents an exhibition of artwork celebrating the different ways in which we connect with and are shaped by nature. Artwork: One Step Beyond | Renee Robbins |
|
America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston Screening at Wayfarer Theaters, Highland Park Sunday, September 14th | 7pm Join Brushwood Center and Wayfarer Theaters for a screening of an episode of America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston. The screening will be followed by a moderated panel about culture and community in the great outdoors. The screening will take place at Wayfarer Theaters in Highland Park. Wayfarer Theaters is a new collective space for films, live events, and conversation, designed to strengthen the bonds of friendship in our community. |
|
DRIP & CULTURE - ON THE GROUNDS Alternating Saturdays Every other Saturday through September 16th Join Brushwood Center and local Waukegan coffee shop Drip & Culture, for a partnership series: Drip & Culture - On the Grounds. This series activates the recommendations of Brushwood’s newest report: Health, Equity, and Nature: A Changing Climate in Lake County, IL with community-centered planning and discussion. The discussions are co-facilitated by Brushwood Center Staff and the Drip & Culture team, with a featured community leadership or organization voice. Meet us at the steps of Brushwood Center for a hike, coffee, and conversation! |
SYMPOSIUM SERIES PARTNERS
|
|
|
BRUSHWOOD CENTER PROGRAM SPONSORS
The Buchanan Foundation The Builders Initiative The Chicago Community Trust The Grainger Foundation Gorter Family Foundation Harold M. and Adeline S. Morrison Family Foundation Hunter Family Foundation Illinois Arts Council Agency Illinois Humanities Mid-America Arts Alliance National Recreation Foundation Oberweiler Foundation John and Kathleen Schreiber Foundation Walder Foundation |
BRUSHWOOD CENTER BOARD OF DIRECTORS
A. Gail Sturm Chair Michelle Cronin Treasurer John Leonard Secretary Celeste Flores Robert Heinrich Jonathan Huisel Suzanne Malec-McKenna Jean Meilinger Brad Mueller Disha Narang Héctor Rasgado-Flores Jacalyn Ramdin-Johnson Lorra Rudman Martha Twaddle Catherine Game Executive Director |
Your generous support is vital to advancing Brushwood Center’s impact. The Smith Nature Awards Dinner is Brushwood Center’s largest fundraising event of the year, and all funds raised from the evening directly benefit our programs for youth, families, and Veterans across our community.
Ticket Purchase Deadline: Friday, September 22, 2023
Scholarship opportunities are available for students and those with economic constraints.
For more information, contact Director of Development, Mirja Spooner Haffner.
To share about the 2023 Smith Awards Dinner, check out our Smith Communications Toolkit.
Press kit can be found here.
For more information, contact Director of Development, Mirja Spooner Haffner.
To share about the 2023 Smith Awards Dinner, check out our Smith Communications Toolkit.
Press kit can be found here.
