LCWC Past Events

AAUW - Waukegan Area Branch and League of Women Voters of Lake County honors Diana Dretske the senior curator and historian for the Lake County Forest Preserves’ Dunn Museum. 

Delta Kappa Gamma - Alpha Nu Chapter honors Laura Beltchenko an inspired teacher, an able administrator, and a talented communicator in Lake County.  

GFWC Antioch Junior Woman’s Club honors Colleen DeVries Valentine.  She worked as a news and features writer, editor, and photographer for Lakeland Newspapers and as a free-lance writer for The News-Sun. She left the newspaper to work at Zion-Benton Township High School, where she helped students write their own stories.

GFWC Zion Woman’s Club honors Sandy Dickson songwriter, poet, essayist, novelist -- Her published works also include the novel Return to Home; self-help Kindred Threads, Loving Relationships; and a children’s book, Holly and the Rock.

June Maguire (LCWC Steering Committee member) and GFWC Waukegan Woman’s Club honors Ann Darrow. Ann has dedicated more than three decades as a volunteer at the Waukegan Historical Society.  Ann is a pillar in the success of the Historical Society & Oakwood Cemetery Walk.  Her dedication to preserving and showcasing Waukegan’s history is truly amazing.

The Links, Inc. – Harbor Lites Chapter honors Sylvia England. Sylvia is a retired educator who worked in the Waukegan School District for more than thirty years as a teacher and assistant principal of Waukegan High School.  

National Association of University Women honors Lesley Bracero. Ms. Bracero has been employed in education for over 30 years. Recently Ms. Bracero authored her first children’s story, Love Is a Sacrifice, which she has used during author tours to schools in her district; she teaches students different reading comprehension strategies centered around her book.  

Women’s Business Exchange honors Cynthia Cobb. Cynthia  made her dream a reality in early 2020 when she started a podcast called Storytime Anytime 4U. She narrates children’s books after gaining approval from the authors.  She also started a podcast in early 2022 called TV is My Happy Place (with a secondary title “A TV Enthusiast’s Memoir”).