September 10, 2018 | The Doings Weekly and Oak Brook Patch | By Community Contributor Liz Littwin
When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. Then use that lemonade to support a great community cause.
On Friday, August 17 and Saturday, August 18, Oak Brook residents, Lara Suleiman, Ahmad Sulaiman, and their three daughters, Raya (10), Jayda (9) and Aliya (4), hosted a fundraising garage sale and lemonade stand at their home to support Oak Brook's Universal Playground project.
"I was thrilled how this simple garage sale became an amazing community awareness event for the playground," explained Lara Suleiman. "People shared many conversations and stories on inclusion spanning generations."
The Universal Playground was specifically designed to remove physical, social and emotional barriers, allowing individuals of all ages and abilities to play side by side with their peers and family members. Some of the innovative equipment includes a dual track zip line, double wide ramping and colorful pour and play surfacing.
The Sulaiman Family collected over $800 between both the lemonade stand and garage sale. All of the proceeds were donated back to the Universal Playground.
"As parents, we strive to teach our children the value of hard work and to be grateful for even the simplest of comforts. I couldn't have been prouder of my daughters! Every quarter they earned with their lemonade stand was made with sweat and a smile," Suleiman added.
The Universal Playground is located at 1300 Forest Gate Road and open to the public from dawn to dusk. The Oak Brook Park District Foundation is still accepting donations to support the development and maintenance of this park.
For more information on the project and to make a donation today, visit www.UniversalPlayground.org.
https://patch.com/illinois/oak-brook/oak-brook-family-hosts-community-garage-sale-playground