February 21, 2018 | The Doings Weekly | By Community Contributor Liz Littwin
The Oak Brook Park District Foundation raised thousands of dollars to support Oak Brook's universal playground project at its first Unwine Wednesday event. Attendees enjoyed food tastings and wine pairings provided by La Barra, live music and raffle as well as wine pull, gift card mall and interactive games.
"It was great seeing the community come together to support this incredible project," stated Laure Kosey, Oak Brook Park District's Executive Director. "It truly takes a team to build a dream, and this playground would not be possible without the support of each and every person at Unwine Wednesday."
The universal playground project will provide a one of a kind playground designed to remove both physical and social barriers so ALL individuals, with or without disabilities or critical illnesses, can play side by side with their peers and families. The facility will be located in Oak Brook Park District's Central Park and 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.
The Oak Brook Park District and Oak Brook Park District Foundation realize that 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. The goal of this project is to ensure no one is left on the sidelines.
The park foundation plans to fundraise continuously for the project, which is scheduled to break ground in May.
"We can't build this dream playground without everyone's support. We hope you will consider making a difference in the life of a child, veteran, parent and grandparent by continuing to support this playground even after Unwine Wednesday," stated Kosey.
Donations can be made online at www.UniversalPlayground.org.
Thank you to event sponsors Karl and Gayle Maurer and La Barra Ristorante as well as raffle sponsor RealtyOne & Associates - Megan Johnson and Alyssa Pisarski.
For more information on the project, visit www.UniversalPlayground.org.