Overview
Ready for a Home of Their Own
For nearly 50 years, NSSRA had been using shared space in local park district facilities to create an environment of belonging through play for children, teens and adults with disabilities who live in its partner communities in Chicago’s northern suburbs. But as demand for NSSRA’s recreational services and programs grew dramatically, it became clear that the country’s first Special Recreation Association needed a permanent space of its own. In 2019, NSSRA purchased a building that required extensive renovation to create safe, fully accessible participant spaces. NSSRA’s partner agencies – including 10 park districts, two cities and one village – funded $3 million of the renovation costs.
To raise the additional $2.2 million needed, the NSSRA Foundation worked closely with TW&B to launch and manage the first capital campaign in the organization’s history — “A Place to Belong.”
