February 28, 2018 | The Doings Oak Brook | By Community Contributor Jessica Cannaday
Brook Forest Student Council weren't monkeying around when they raised $1000 in record time to support the Oak Brook Sandlot Universal Playground project.
"Our goal was to raise $1,000 over the course of the school year. However, our students came together and were able to collect the money in only two days!" explained Barb Mini of Brook Forest Elementary School.
Brook Forest students organized a Monkeying Around raffle and sold hundreds of tickets to support the project.
Aidan Lombard of 2J was the big winner for the raffle and took home the coveted giant stuffed monkey.
"Aidan was the big raffle winner, but we are truly all winners. We worked together to meet our goal and support a worthy cause," stated Mini.
The Oak Brook Park District and the Oak Brook Park District Foundation are working to bring a fully accessible one of a kind playground to Oak Brook. The park is designed to remove physical, social, and emotional barriers so that all individuals, with or without disabilities or critical illnesses, can play side by side with their peers and families.
"We cannot begin to express our appreciation for the students, their parents and the community's support of this playground. It takes a team to build a dream, and we could not do it without entire community," stated Laure Kosey, Executive Director at the Oak Brook Park District.
The Oak Brook Sandlot will feature innovative equipment including a dual track zip line, a poured in place surface baseball diamond, and two levels of play that will be fully accessible through ramping. Play is a critical part of the social, emotional, cognitive and physical development of every child as well as essential to developing cross-generational bonds.
"Our goal is to ensure no one is left on the sidelines," explained Kosey.
For more information on the project and to make a donation today, visit www.UniversalPlayground.org.