By Kelly White
The Oak Lawn Park District is helping kids across the globe.
Thanks to an organization called “Kids Around the World,” the old playground at the Oak View Center and Museum, 4625 W. 110th St., Oak Lawn, is now refurbished and open for play almost 2,000 miles away in the Dominican Republic.
“We were happy that the equipment wasn’t disposed of in a landfill and that it was repurposed so kids can continue to enjoy it for years to come,” Justin Waters, Marketing Manager for the Oak Lawn Park District, said.
Kids Around the World is a service organization that removes refurbishes and then installs the playgrounds in underserved areas.
The organization partners with others like the Oak Lawn Park District to bring the gift of food, play and story to kids in impoverished regions of the world. Through these efforts, they are able to create environments within local communities through feeding programs, playgrounds and StoryClubs, where kids experience hope with a daily meal and a safe place to play.
Partnership is at the heart of who Kids Around the World is and it is recognized that through partnering with like-minded groups and individuals, Kids Around the World can have a much larger impact, helping people experience hope both locally and globally, according to Andrew Martin, Resource Partnership Director at Kids Around the World.
Kids Around the World thrives through the support and engagement of amazing churches, businesses, schools, organizations and places like the Oak Lawn Park District who have generously donated playground equipment.
According to Kids Around the World’s website: Playgrounds are more than metal or plastic. Play opens doors, drops barriers, expands minds, and heals wounds. These benefits are often what is needed most in places where the brokenness of this world hits kids the hardest through child labor and exploitation, neighborhood violence and war, or the limited resources available to children living in deep poverty. By strategically integrating play into areas of need, seeds of hope take deeper root and the opportunity for genuine harvest is realized.
When the playground was updated at the Oak View Center in Oak Lawn, the old playground equipment was removed in the summer of 2022 and was donated directly to Kids Around the World. It was then refurbished and installed on a playground, across the world, in the Dominican Republic on November 23 of last year.
The playground was originally installed in 2005 at the Oak View Community Center.
“We’re happy to see the playground have a new life and that so many more kids will be able to enjoy it,” Waters said.
Oak Lawn Park District officials said they could not be happier with the outcome of the project and partnership.
“It’s a great feeling,” Waters said. “The pictures that we received were great and really put everything in perspective. The kids smiles as they were running towards the playground was fantastic. We’re grateful for the people at Kids Around the World for their hard work.”
