Forest district projects seeking support on #GivingTuesday
Area residents can keep their #GivingTuesday donation local Nov. 28 by donating to priority projects in the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County.
Here are some options:
• Adopt a Blanding's Turtle. Name a state-endangered Blanding's turtle hatchling born in August 2017 and provide care for it by supporting field-monitoring efforts and habitat-enrichment projects.
• Wheelchair-accessible piers at Blackwell and Herrick Lake forest preserves in Warrenville and Wheaton. The installation of ADA-accessible floating docks at the boat-rental areas will help kayakers of all ages and abilities enjoy the water.
• Courtyard restoration at Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oak Brook. Once completed, restoration of the 1920s Mayslake Hall's rear courtyard will help correct years of extensive deterioration at this popular cultural center.
• Staircase restoration at Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oak Brook. Two donors have agreed to match the first $10,000 raised to repair and refinish the woodwork on the staircase and balustrade and install a period-appropriate runner at Mayslake Hall's central walnut staircase, an architectural gem that has survived almost 100 years in near-original condition.
• Belleau Woods Restoration. Support efforts to control invasive species and reverse decades of habitat degradation at one of the few remnant woodlands in DuPage County.
Donations can also be designated for a favorite forest preserve or natural resource initiative.
As a follow-up to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday was launched in 2012 by 92nd Street Y, a nonprofit cultural and community center in New York, in partnership with the United Nations Foundation to celebrate generosity and giving and use social media to spread the word. Last year more than 45,000 organizations in 96 countries participated.
Details on the Friends, the 501(c)(3) fundraising arm of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County and its priority projects are at dupageforest.org/friends.
For more information, contact Fundraising & Development at (630) 933-7097 or fundraising@dupageforest.org.