
Thank you for your support of winter wonderwalk!
Since 1995 Woodlands Academy has hosted Winter Wonderwalk, a Holiday Tour of Homes and Holiday Boutique. Supported by volunteers consisting of parents, past parents, alumnae and students, Winter Wonderwalk was one of the main annual fundraising events benefiting the students of Woodlands Academy. Hundreds of guests toured spectacular homes in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff and shopped for holiday gifts provided by fabulous boutique vendors. The event became a holiday staple for scores of North Shore and Chicago area guests. What a marvelous friend and fundraiser it has been over these 20 plus years!
During the last year, members of our community including the Advancement Department, administration, and key Parent Association volunteers conducted a lengthy and thoughtful analysis of the event. Planning and execution of both the house walk and boutique are labor intensive and volunteer dependent. Through our analysis, it became clear that this multi-day event’s demands are taxing on Woodlands’ very generous, yet small, volunteer base. Additionally, due to a confluence of factors, event attendance has been on a slow decline over the years. For all of these reasons and more, the decision was made that Winter Wonderwalk 2017 was our last.
We are forever grateful to the hundreds of volunteers that have helped to make this such a wonderful holiday event. We are particularly grateful to those who led the event over these many years and we salute your time and many talents.
We want to thank the hundreds of fabulous vendors who have supported us and have provided countless gifts and goodies for our guests over the years.
We are also so very grateful to those families who opened and shared their beautiful home with our guests.
Finally, thank you to our many guests for your support of Woodlands Academy and Winter Wonderwalk.
It is always difficult to bid farewell to a beloved event, and we are looking forward to all the many new creative opportunities in the future.
Leadership Over the Years
Angela Alvarez
Mary Anne Bateman
Stella Boyle
Coni Carfagno
Sara Carmody
Ann Considine
Dianne Cutler
Kathy Dasso
Chris Denniston
Celeste Denton
Ceci Greco
Julie Fluno
Kathi Hudson
Pam Kendall
Alison Kohlmeyer
Monica Kubicek
Kristin Makowski
Jill McClusky
Liz McEnaney
Patti Mergner
Megan Morris
Mary Oelerich
Jean Olson
Nancy O'Neill
Ann Patterson
Andrea Perino
Diane Reidy
Mary Rudnick
Carole Sandner
Mary Ann Scanlan
Janice Sparr
Sandi Strong
Vicki Stewart*
Sarah Taich
Gina Zisook
(*deceased)