28th annual Marklund Summer Games a success

Marklund clients, staff, volunteers and family members enjoyed a day of fun and competition during the 28th annual Marklund Summer Games on June 18 at the Marklund Philip Center, 164 S. Prairie Ave., Bloomingdale.

The event began with a flag-raising ceremony and national anthem by Tioga Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2149, and included adapted games and activities, a visit from “Coop,” the mascot from the Schaumburg Boomers baseball team, and a barbeque lunch. State Sen. Tom Cullerton also visited to cheer on Marklund clients.

Volunteers, including those from Zurich Insurance Group, assisted clients with a variety of activities, including:

• A “javelin” competition: throwing pool “noodles” through Hula Hoops;

• Badminton using balloons;

• a water balloon launch;

• face painting;

• a sensory tent, where clients interact with a variety of objects;

• a tie-dying station, where client can decorate bandanas, shirts, socks and other articles of clothing.

Summer Games provides another way Marklund carries out its mission: “making everyday life possible for individuals with profound disabilities,” said Gunjan Patel, administrator of the Marklund Philip Center.

“The day allows families to gather and actively participate with their loved ones,” Patel said. “You can see clients' enjoyment through their facial expressions, vocalization, and attentiveness to siblings and parents and guardians.”

To learn more, visit www.marklund.org.