Special needs kids have safe haven to play
When Jackie Olson of North Aurora watched Haley, her daughter with special needs, “getting trampled and pushed” when she tried to play at a playground with other kids, she knew there had to be a safer place for her child to play.
Olson and her friends Tara DeMarco and Ellen Maglio, both North Aurora residents with special needs children, were at a McDonald’s playground in Aurora last December when they witnessed their kids not having a chance to do half of the things the other kids were doing at the play area.
“We had the idea that there ought to be a place where kids with disabilities could go and be safe,” Olson said. “But at the McDonald’s, my three sons, who are typical kids, were trying to help their sister. So we thought that other kids could become mentors at a safe playground.”
With the idea created in December, five months later the three women were operating Haley’s Playground Inc., a nonprofit organization named after Olson’s daughter and offering safe play, exercise and sensory development.
Classes are held Wednesdays and Saturdays at the North Aurora Community Center and Thursday mornings at First Presbyterian Church of Aurora.
“We create a safe play zone to meet their needs,” said Olson, who used her experience as an occupational therapist and a parent of a child with special needs to put the concept together with DeMarco and Maglio.
“It instantly took off and we have over 60 kids in the program and 100 volunteers,” said Olson, who noted kids come from the entire region, not just the Fox Valley area.
A 5K and 1-mile fun run fundraiser is planned Oct. 15, and parents are asked to donate $2 each time their child comes to Haley’s Playground. Information about classes and fundraisers is available by calling Olson at (630) 777-5045 or visiting haleysplayground.com.
“This is what parents were looking for,” Olson said. “This is a place where there is no bullying, and the kids with special needs are not always being the last one chosen for a team, or being told they are too slow.”
‘Road’ hits the screen: The buzz throughout St. Charles last summer was that “a local kid” was making a movie in town. The local kid was 2003 St. Charles North graduate Nick Smith, and his movie, “Munger Road” will finally hit the big screen Monday night in a special invitation screening at Charlestowne Mall.It will be showing for the general public at Charlestowne starting Friday, and showing in other suburban theaters in early October.Residents are anxious to see how their No. 1 city to raise a family in America will look on the silver screen. We#146;re anticipating a decent film, as the 26-year-old Smith put much time and effort into coming up with the Munger Road ghost story.Historic horseshoe art: If Melvin Peterson makes a horseshoe mantelpiece for you, it means you#146;ve accomplished something for St. Charles, or made it a better place to live.The 91-year-old Peterson has spent much of his life volunteering for the St. Charles Park District, while also operating the Wasco Blacksmith Shop, where he still works a few days a week.When he has time, and the materials, he enjoys making commemorative art pieces for various community organizations or individuals by incorporating a horseshoe or two as part of a depiction of the entity or person receiving the gift.He#146;s at it again, with a piece commemorating the first 50 years of the park district#146;s 100 years, with old photos showing key events in the history of the district.He#146;ll present it at the Oct. 11 park board meeting, and tell board members a little bit about the pictures he chose.#147;I am probably one of the only ones around who remembers who the people were involved with the park district and what buildings were used during those first 50 years,#148; Peterson said.The St. Charles Heritage Center honored the park district in January for 100 years of service to the community.An accurate account: We are on to football and our thoughts have turned to the Chicago Bears and, if you live in Geneva or Batavia, to Friday night#146;s key Upstate Eight battle between those two rivals in Geneva.But I can#146;t let the Chicago Cubs#146; dismal season pass by without this observation:The 1993 film #147;Rookie of the Year,#148; about a 12-year-old pitching phenom who carries the Cubs to glorious heights, may be the most accurate film about Cubs misery ever made.It#146;s downright scary how this silly comedy could be used as a documentary about the inept 2011 Cubs. Everything about it is accurate. The fans are loyal, but befuddled. The announcers can#146;t keep track of the losses and they are numbed by the futility. The manager is grasping at straws. The top pitcher blows out his arm, and the team owner is more interested in what prize he can pull from a Cracker Jack box than what is going on with the team.But the Cubs eventually win it all in this movie, proving again that Hollywood can conjure up the most improbable miracle of all. Talk about animals: Want to learn more about the coyotes, raccoons and skunks that are likely hanging around on your property at night? The folks at the Fox Valley Wildlife Center in Elburn may have some answers for you.A visit to the center#146;s open house from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday is worth the trip if you haven#146;t had a chance to visit this interesting place where injured animals are rehabbed for a healthy return to the wild.You#146;ll find it on Route 38 in Elburn as you enter the Elburn Forest Preserve.dheun@sbcglobal.net