Donated playground has international future

A playground in Oak Brook Park District that opened in 1994 in Central Park has an international future.

The equipment, located at 1500 Forest Gate Road, will be donated to Kids around the World, a nonprofit organization dedicated to repurposing used playgrounds to impact the lives of children in countries affected by war, poverty, famine and disease.

Kids around the World is scheduled to remove the existing playground structure on Thursday, July 28. After the equipment is restored, Kids around the World will determine a new home for the playground.

"Instead of just recycling what we can, this program allows the entire playground to be repurposed to benefit kids who don't have access to the physical, social, or emotional benefits of parks and play structures," said Bob Johnson, Oak Brook Park District's director of parks and planning.

Johnson said there is no cost associated with the removal or transport of the old equipment.

The park district will replace the existing structure with a new ADA-accessible Unity Playground designed by Playworld Systems. The new equipment is designed for kids ages 5-12 and features innovative and accessible opportunities for kids to play, including a Unity Teeter Tunnel that can accommodate up to 15 children at a time.

The new playground equipment is scheduled to be installed by mid-August.