A children’s play area in Jacksonville will soon have more accessibility thanks to a local fraternal organization.
The Jacksonville Elks Lodge No. 682 made a presentation of funds to the Jacksonville City Council Monday night to help expand the playground area at Community Park.
Exalted Ruler of the Elks Lodge in Jacksonville, Doug Sills made the presentation. He says the major state program for Elks Lodges in Illinois is the Children’s Care Corporation which finances funding for supporting families who have children with disabilities.
Sills says the lodge worked with City Parks Supervisor Adam Fletcher to make the big toy area more accessible for handicapped children.
“On behalf of the local Elks Lodge and our membership, we made a donation to the City of Jacksonville in the amount of fifteen thousand dollars, and that is to go towards the swing set project in Community Park for handicapped children to make the play toys a little bit more accessible.
It’s a good partnership with the city and Mr. Fletcher. We have worked on this for about three years now and we will be breaking ground on it shortly I do believe.
Sills says the Children’s Care Corporation donated the recumbent swing set at Community Park and continues to support efforts to make the playground accessible to all.
He says since the Jacksonville Elks Lodge was established in 1901, the lodge has been able to donate or generate approximately $4.8 million back to local causes over the 120 year history.