 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
||
 |
|
||
 |
 |
||
 | |||
 |
 |
||||
|
|||||
 |
|||||
 |
|||||
Friends of the Parks will host its 19th annual Parks Ball – Let's Play! black tie gala on Friday, May 9th in Navy Pier's beautiful Grand Ballroom. Proceeds will benefit the group’s mission to preserve, protect and improve Chicago's parks and forest preserves in Cook County. For ticket information, contact Nancy Minster Swabb at (312) 857-2757 extension 11.
This year, Friends of the Parks will honor Ardythe and Gale Sayers for their commitment to youth in the Chicago area. Their latest gift is The Gale Sayers Center, set to open in Fall 2008. The non-profit Center will provide an accelerated after-school learning environment at no cost for children ages 8-12. From computer classrooms, to a mentoring and motivation program, to a Jr. Toastmasters program, each child will have the opportunity to better him or herself at an early age. Ardythe and Gale Sayers support many youth charitable organizations, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Marklund Children's Home, Boy Scouts of America, Junior Achievement and Better Boys Foundation, a nonprofit organization serving Chicago's North Lawndale community through tutoring, mentoring, and scholarships. The Ardythe and Gale Sayers Center for African American Adoption at The Cradle in Evanston finds loving, adoptive families for black and biracial infants; the Center is one of the only programs in the country that promotes adoption awareness specifically within the African American community. As the Chicago Bears' legendary number 40, Sayers was NFL Rookie of the Year in 1965 and scored a record six touchdowns in one game. After only three years in the NFL, he was voted the best halfback of the first 50 years of professional football. He was also the youngest player ever to be inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame.
In 1984, Ardythe and Gale Sayers launched a computer reseller firm with great success. In 1999, Sayers was inducted into the Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame, and was named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year. In addition, Kansas University School of Education unveiled the Gale Sayers Microcomputer Center in Pearson Hall - an inspiration to generations of students and visitors of his dedication to education.
Gale Sayers instills in young athletes a respect of the game, giving back to the community and preparing for the future.
Parks Ball 2008 Chairperson Lynn Leftwich said, "The group chose Let’s Play! as our theme to showcase the importance of 'green' to our great city. Parks provide us with healthy places to play, contribute to improved public health and build stronger communities. Friends of the Parks wants every citizen of Chicago to have easy access to safe, clean, beautiful parks with vibrant programs that serve and inspire us."
Funds raised at the Parks Ball will enable Friends of the Parks to create new children’s playgrounds in two of Chicago's neediest communities; develop a plan to create 500 acres of new lakefront park land; and expand the group's exciting tree-planting program.
Tickets are $325 per person. Benefactor tables of ten are $3,500 and Grand Benefactor Tables of Ten are $5,000. Benefactors and Grand Benefactors are invited to a private VIP reception with honorees Ardythe and Gale Sayers at six o'clock that evening. Volunteers are needed, too. Guests will help support a group that has been "green" for more than 30 years – Friends of the Parks. For more information, log onto www.fotp.org.
Earth Day 2008
Join Friends of the Parks this year to help “green” our city. We’re recruiting hundreds of volunteers to help clean and green parks and preserves throughout the city and Cook County. Volunteers help mulch trees, remove litter, improve gardens and much more. If you’re interested, please contact Mary Eileen Sullivan, Director of Volunteers at (312) 857-2757 extension 13.
Report Glass And Trash On Chicago's Streets
Bicyclists in Chicago are reminded to report broken glass and other bicycling safety hazards by dialing 311, Chicago's 24-hour City Services Request hotline.
BECOME A MEMBER OF FRIENDS OF THE PARKS!
Friends of the Parks is a 33-year-old nonprofit advocacy organization whose mission is to preserve, protect and improve Chicago's parks and forest preserves in Cook County. Friends of the Parks members enjoy reciprocal membership benefits from the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, including monthly electronic newsletters, and $5 discount coupon for CBF events. Members also receive our quarterly newsletter, annual report, invitations to lectures and events throughout the year and news about many volunteer opportunities in parks and preserves.
