Park District of Oak Park

6 www.pdop.org 6 Board of Park District Commissioners Regular Park Board Meetings are generally held on the third ursday of each month and the Committee of the Whole (COW) Meetings are generally held on the first ursday of the month. All meetings are held at 7:30P at the John L. Hedges Administrative Center, 218 Madison Street, Oak Park. Public comment is welcome at these meeting. ere is no COW meeting in August. Kathleen Porreca Commissioner Kathleen.Porreca@pdop.org Paul Aeschleman President Paul.Aeschleman@pdop.org Victor Guarino Vice-President Victor.Guarino@pdop.org Sandy Lentz Secretary Sandy.Lentz@pdop.org David Wick Treasurer David.Wick@pdop.org Dear Residents, e summer is upon us which means the pools are open, folks will be enjoying summer concerts and movies in the park, Festival eatre performances will be held in the beautiful surroundings of Austin Gardens and kids will be making friends, pursuing new hobbies and interests and enjoying the outdoors in our many summer camps. For all those who enjoy exercising outdoors, Fitness in the Park is back and so is Music on the Patio at Cheney Mansion. Cheney will be the hub this summer for a wide variety of adult programs (see page 24-25). However you define your "pursuit of happiness", we hope we are exceeding your expectations here at the Park District of Oak Park. Congratulations Community Service Award Recipients e Park District of Oak Park annually recognizes individuals and organizations who make a significant impact in our community and improve the quality of life for our residents. is year's Community Service Award recipients included Tom Kindler, leader of Oak Park AYSO; Laura ompson, former Pleasant Home Foundation Executive Director and Parks Foundation Chair; and Charlie Saville, sustainability consultant. Each recipient, through selflessly volunteering their talents and time, made outstanding contributions to the advancement of parks and recreation in Oak Park. It was an honor to recognize these community leaders at our February Park Board Meeting. Serving Our Seniors and Disabled Oak Park Township's Senior Services Transportation Department is now able to provide up to an additional 6,000 rides this year to senior citizens and individuals with disabilities in Oak Park and River Forest due to an intergovernmental agreement with the Park District. e Township now has access to the Park District's 12 passenger bus, equipped with a wheelchair li, on a reservation basis. "e additional bus will be beneficial to seniors and disabled clients because of the opportunity to possibly accept some same day/emergency appointments," stated Township Transportation Coordinator Charles M. Barnes. e Park District is pleased to collaborate with the Township to assist in providing service to our residents while maximizing community resources. Take an Adventure In Our Parks In 2017 the Park District launched the Parks Passport Program, challenging kids ages 5 to 13 to stay active and explore their parks and community by completing missions in 10 park locations. Activities revolved around play, history, nature exploration, fitness, math and arts and cras. Not only was the community response to this free program outstanding but it was also one of the featured innovative program ideas at the Alliance for Innovation's National Conference this past April. Look for information about the 2018 Parks Passport Program in early June with passports available at all Park District and Library locations. We are pleased to be partnering once again with the Oak Park Public Library and School District 97 to offer this program and special thanks to this year's sponsors, Pedios and Red Mango, whose support is much appreciated. For more details about the Parks Passport Program, please visit our website at pdop.org. Have a fun and safe summer, Paul Aeschleman, President, Park District of Oak Park Board of Commissioners Park Board President, Paul Aeschleman with Awardee Tom Kindler Commissioner David Wick with Awardee Laura ompson Award Recipient Charlie Saville with Commissioner Vic Guarino

• Cover