(Courtesy of Kat Yakes)

While you may know juniors Grace Donovan and Kat Yakes for their extraordinary involvement within the Lake Forest community, the two have continued to impress many by running an annual Christmas Basket Holiday Drive.

In 2010 Mrs. Ashley Yakes created this drive to support those in local communities. She previously taught in Waukegan and saw that some of her students were financially struggling at home. Years later, she saw the need growing, and Yakes decided she never wanted a child to not feel the holiday magic in their homes, so she created the Christmas Basket Holiday Drive. 

The Christmas Basket Holiday Drive is a non-profit organization that organizes a local “adoption” for families in a more needy position during the holiday season. The drive creates an opportunity for local Northshore families and groups to participate in purchasing gifts based on their chosen teen/family. They provide a wishlist, sizing, and other information for each individual within the family. 

Now, juniors Kat Yakes and Grace Donovan have taken over the drive. From Donovans’s initial involvement with her family adopting in the past, and Yakes wanting to follow in the footsteps of her mother, it was the perfect opportunity. 

Over the years, Yakes and Donovan have created a long-lasting friendship, allowing them to be efficient and successful in their drive.

“Being able to work with a friend who has the same motivations as me is so inspiring. We truly have an amazing click that lets us be successful,” said Yakes. 

This year more than before, the drive has been very successful. Since Yakes and Donovan have taken over, they have doubled the number of families they support and have had many more who want to adopt these families.

While the actual drive itself starts in December, the behind-the-scenes work starts in August. In August, the two received a list of 15 families and ten groups of teenagers that are in need this holiday season. From there, they receive the families’ wish lists and requests and sent a mass email to the families of Lake Forest and Lake Bluff asking if they’re interested in participating in the drive.

“We start getting loads of responses as soon as we send it out. It’s super exciting because it’s all coming to life once people start claiming families and teenagers,” said Donovan. 

From there, the two have collected hundreds of gifts for these families. Yakes and Donovan then deliver the gifts directly to the families in the neighboring communities. 

This year, the Basket Drive has had around 22 groups of adoptees that generously donated this holiday season.

“The constant love and gratefulness from every single person up there is unimaginable. That’s what keeps me going,” said Yakes. 

The duo will deliver this year’s gifts this Thursday, where they will also prepare a dinner for the families to meet with those who have “adopted” them this holiday season.

This particular holiday season, the two have used their organization to help others get involved as well. They have provided numerous volunteer opportunities for LFHS students to get themselves involved. With the success of this past season, they hope to continue to expand the drive past the nearby communities.

“Whenever we deliver the gifts there is just always such a feeling of thankfulness and appreciation from the families. It honestly just feels so rewarding knowing that we can make such an impact on their lives,” said Yakes. 

Donovan describes this experience as “beyond memorable” and hopes that the drive itself will continue to be as successful in the future. 

“People may not know it, but they are truly making the adoptee’s Christmas’ so memorable and special,” said Donovan.