"Together We Play" is a student group from St. Thomas the Apostle School in Peoria Heights devoted to constructing an accessible park for the Peoria area. The team has done research and have found that although there are over 10,000 people with disabilities in the Peoria area, there are very few accessible parks, and none within the village of Peoria Heights.
Our mission is to raise at least $125,000 (increased from original $100,000 goal due to inflation and supply impact on the cost of the equipment) to build an accessible park which uses a universal design, allowing children of all abilities to play together. Our goal is to have the necessary funds to permit playground construction in Spring 2022. Due to a number of generous donations we are currently very close to our goal, with only $32,000 remaining. In addition to making one of those generous donations, The Gilmore Foundation has agreed to match all donations starting in April 2022 until we raise the additional $16,000 (+$16,000 from the Gilmore foundation) to reach our goal. If you have been waiting to donate, now is the time since your donation will be effectively doubled through the match.
The idea to build the park started as a research project for 2019 “City Shaper” season of FIRST LEGO League. The St. Thomas RoboComets Too team ran with the idea and worked diligently toward the goal, first gaining approval of the Village Boardand now working to plan the playground and raise the necessary funds.
The team believes that an accessible park would make a great addition to Tower Park. The park’s current design supports accessibility and the playground area would benefit from new equipment. With support of the Peoria Heights Village Board, the team is working to make a fun playground that can be used by people of all abilities, permitting them to play and grow together.
The team is grateful for the support of Advocates for Access, and their willingness to manage donations and grants collected for the park. We hope the playground will further advance their mission by providing a space where those of all abilities may be empowered to play, explore, and interact independently. We would appreciate your generous support for this project.
Donations are being accepted at this time. Please make out any checks to ‘Together We Play’ and mail them (or drop them off) to:
Together We Play
4450 N. Prospect Road Suite C8
Peoria Heights, IL 61616
Or you can donate directly using PayPal.
