Fox River Grove playground finds new home in Thailand
The Village of Fox River Grove partnered with Fox River Grove Elementary District 3 to install a state-of-the-art playground and fitness area at Stanger Park in late 2019.
The village's parks commission took the lead throughout the process, identifying a vendor that prioritized health and fitness in its playground design.
As the playground that was previously in place at Stanger Park was still in functional condition, the village had an opportunity to donate its playground to Kids Around the World, a nonprofit organization that disassembles and refurbishes used playground equipment, then delivers it to schools in underprivileged communities around the world to be reused.
The village is pleased to announce that its former playground has travelled over 8,000 miles to be installed in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where it will be enjoyed by children at a school with roughly 100 students.
To see photos, follow Fox River Grove Parks and Playgrounds on Facebook.
Kids Around the World began in 1994 when Denny and Evie Johnson came up with a plan to help Rockford's sister cities around the world; sister cities allow for average citizens to engage in diplomatic relationships. One of Rockford's many sister cities is Brovary, Ukraine. As a gift to Brovary, Kids Around the World built the first of two playgrounds for the city's children.
To learn more about Kids Around the World, visit kidsaroundtheworld.com or https://www.facebook.com/kidsaroundtheworld.