Access to Recreation (A2R), a three-year program started in 2006, had as its goal the support of community foundations, parks and recreation providers, advocacy groups, and individuals working to provide greater access to a wide variety of recreation opportunities.

Through a $15 million grant from the Michigan-based W.K. Kellogg Foundation to Midwest Community Foundations’ Ventures, the funds were re-granted to Community Foundations in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois to use for recreation projects that incorporate universal design principles resulting in greater accessibility. Donors Forum was a partner providing leadership in Illinois for the initiative, as did regional associations of grantmakers in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio in their respective states.

Illinois nonprofits that received the grants are The Community Foundation of East Central Illinois in Champaign, The DuPage Community Foundation in Wheaton, The Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation in Oak Park, and The Sangamon County Community Foundation in Springfield. Each Foundation then created a project to be financed by the grant and fall within the Access to Recreation guidelines, thereby improving the lives of individuals throughout the entire state. 

Here is more information on the individual projects: 

• The Community Foundation of East Central Illinois, located in Champaign, initiated a project called “Possibility Piers.” Its aim was to build accessible fishing piers and platforms at three different sites which would include ramps to floating structures with accessible tables and space for group activities, as well as accessible railing systems and fishing stations.
• The DuPage Community Foundation, located in Wheaton, used their grant to create two parks—Forest Glen in Woodridge and Knolls Park in York Center — which have been open to the public since 2009 and are both universally designed recreational sites. Both parks use the Principles of Universal Design and include accessible walkways, sensory gardens, games, and aim serve people at individuals at every stage of life.
• The Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation used their funding, along with existing resources, to not only complete, but enhance, a project called “Making a Splash for Recreation," which called for a fully accessible splash pad play area in Oak Park's Longfellow Park.
• The Sangamon County Community Foundation’s project was Edwin Watts Southwind Park — a new park in Springfield, with the goal of it being universally accessible. It would include sensory gardens, fishing piers, trails, playgrounds, and a completely accessible navigation system along with an emergency call system. 

Additionally, the A2R grants has given these four foundations the ability to further their missions as well as carry out the overarching mission of creating a universally accessible society. “A very important component of the A2R initiative was the responsibility to raise funds to match those we received.  We raised the appropriate funds, introduced donors to the issue of accessible recreation and successfully established a permanent A2R endowment from which we will support universally designed accessible recreation projects in perpetuity.  We have used the skills learned through the A2R process in initiatives we’ve undertaken since” says Barbara Szczepaniak, Director of Programs for The DuPage Community Foundation. 

The Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation also had great success with furthering their foundation’s work. “The Access to Recreation project catalyzed the Access to Recreation Advisory group. This has helped our community foundation meet its mission in so much as we can inspire philanthropy and convene resources to address community priorities and interests,” says Sophia Lloyd, Executive Director of The Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation. 

Read more about the initative here.

 — Rebecca Jackson, Communications and Development Voluntern