Naperville grants support two WDSRA programs

Grants from the city of Naperville's Special Events and Cultural Activities Fund will go to support two separate Western DuPage Special Recreation Association programs: $2,666 for the Naperville Visiting Artist Program and $8,000 for the USA Boccia Nationals to be held in Naperville.

The Visiting Artist Program is part of the Drop-In Center offered from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays in the Riverwalk Community Center in Naperville. The visiting artist comes the first Wednesday of the month. The program is free to participants ages 31 and older.

For more than 25 years, WDSRA has been offering the Drop In Center through a partnership with the National Alliance on Mental Illness DuPage. The weekly program allows individuals to "drop in" when they feel up to it. Attendees find a calm place where they can enjoy the camaraderie and friendship that so many find difficult in their daily lives.

Each week, a free dinner is provided by NAMI DuPage volunteers and recreational activities encouraging socialization are provided by WDSRA. Activities range from games to yoga and art projects to community outings.

The Visiting Artists Program gives participants the opportunity to engage in an art activity encouraging self-expression, self-discovery, emotional growth and creativity. Once a month, local visiting artists share their talents in a variety of mediums such as acrylic painting, pastels and watercolors.

USA Boccia Nationals will be Wednesday to Sunday, July 5 to 9, at Fort Hill Activity Center and Players Indoor in Naperville. During the USA Boccia Nationals Tournament, more than 200 athletes, coaches and referees from throughout the United States will compete on 16 courts at two separate venues in individual, pairs and team play.

This is anticipated to be the largest nationals tournament in recent history. Not only does this offer local athletes greater access to this level of play, but it may help expose the sport to those not already involved.

Boccia is a sport for wheelchair athletes taking place on an indoor, hard court surface. The object is to throw or roll game balls so they land as close as possible to the target ball called the jack. After all of the balls have been thrown, the closest team receives the number of points equal to the number of balls that they have closer to the jack than their opponent's closest ball.

The disability sport community initially adopted boccia as a sport for athletes with cerebral palsy, but it is now open to all athletes with significant physical disabilities. In 1984, boccia became a Paralympic sport and by 2008 was being practiced in more than 50 countries worldwide.