Glen Roberts sits inside a Starbucks in his adopted hometown of Barrington. It’s mid-afternoon. Earlier, in Rosemont, the former AbbVie director of international distribution had practiced with members of his senior softball team.

But Roberts isn’t here to talk about his baseball, he’s here to go to bat for Bravo Waukegan! Roberts started his three-year term as chairman of the board of directors for the Lake Forest-based organization in 2020. Founded 11 years ago, Bravo Waukegan! began as a grassroots effort to help boost music programs within the 21 schools in the Waukegan School District.

Now? It supports students in the highly diverse and underserved district by partnering with the fine arts administration to find opportunities to grow through music in supervised, creative programs that take place in school, after school, and during the summer.

“When people hear Bravo’s mission,” Roberts says, “they immediately think, ‘That’s phenomenal.’ I know that was my initial thought. I realized how powerful music can be when I traveled to many countries in my position at AbbVie. It’s true—music is the universal language; it enables you to connect with others, instantly. It’s also inspirational, motivational, and soothing.

“It’s nice,” he adds, “to see the development of students, as people, as they prepare to perform on stage. The confidence they gain as musicians, especially after seeing and hearing reactions from audience members, often carries over into the classroom and into their jobs.”

In 2017, co-workers at AbbVie suggested Roberts attend an open house for nonprofits at Independence Grove in Libertyville. During the open house, Roberts met Bravo Waukegan! Executive Director Karey Walker.

“I was able to check a lot of boxes as we spoke and as I learned about Bravo that day,” recalls Roberts, who retired in 2019. “I love music. Check. As a volunteer for Bravo, I’d get to use some of my strategic planning skills. Check. That certainly interested me. Bravo’s mission impressed me. Check.”

Ten days after that conversation, Roberts started serving as a Bravo volunteer and later spearheaded a Saturday-morning workshop focusing on strategic planning for the next three to five years for the Bravo Waukegan! Board.

Bravo Waukegan! impacts 7,000 students each year; youngsters who’d be adrift without having had the outlet—the haven, in many cases—of learning music and then moving audiences via their performances.

“We want to expand the awareness of Bravo Waukegan! beyond Waukegan and Lake Forest,” Roberts says. “We want more involvement from small businesses across Barrington. We’re helping children turn their lives around. Our enrollment increases every year.”

“I’ve seen the joy of these young musicians when they perform on a stage. I’ve also seen parents as they listen to their children. Those parents’ faces, all of them … beaming with pride.”

Bravo Waukegan’s office, 847-722-5821, is located at the Gorton Community Center, 400 East Illinois Road, Lake Forest. For more information, visit bravowaukegan.org.