Western DuPage

Special Recreation Association

Providing engaging community-based recreational programs and

inclusion services for children, teens and adults with special needs.

www.wdsra.com

News You Can Use March 8, 2016

In This Issue

Black & Red THANKS

TROOP Drama Presents...Charlie Brown

Synergy Trivia Night

Hiring Part Time Staff

WDSRA Celebrates 40 Years

Anniversary Bowling Shirts

Sensory Friendly Theater

STARS Fundraiser

Zootopia

Thank You Sponsors!

EVENT

Comcast/NBCUniversal

First Bank & Trust

Gen Power

GOLD

Advanced Insurance

Partners, Inc.

Bloomingdale Park

District

Carol Stream Park

District

Cuz We Can

Cygnet Controls

Inc.

Fair Oaks

Ford/Lincoln

Glen Ellyn Park

District

Northwest Snow

and Timber

Service Ltd.

Smart 911

Wheaton Bank &

Trust Company

Wheaton Park

District

Williams Architects

Winfield Park

District

SILVER

Ancel Glink
Diamond

Bush DiCianni &

Krafthefer

Jaffe Films, Inc.

Warrenville Park

District

BRONZE

Dr. Aimee &
Associates
McNees and

Associates

Momkus McCluskey

LLC.

Robbins Schwartz

Highlights from The Black & Red Bash

Bash 1

Bash 15

Bash 14

Bash 13

Bash 12

Find more photos on Facebook!

Spread the News!

Know someone who might benefit from WDSRA programs and services? Invite them to view the WDSRA video here.

Hear why one parent calls WDSRA 'exceptional and rare'.

News You Can Use Archive

Looking for something you saw in a past News You Can Use? Visit our archive at

www.wdsra.com.

WDSRA on WONC!

Catch us LIVE on WONC FM89.1 Tues at 4:30pm.

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Thank You Guests, Donors and Sponsors!

The Black & Red Bash was a truly spectacular celebration for all!

We celebrated our friends and families! We celebrated making exceptional special recreation possible for families over the past 40 years. AND we celebrated the possibilities of what we can do tomorrow together.

Among the sea of black and red were the smiling faces of the almost 400 guests who came to celebrate with us! Through ticket purchases, donations, sponsorships and the magnanimous giving that evening, more than $110,000 was raised to support our participants and families! Of that, over $39,000 in donations were raised specifically for scholarships. Combine that with the $25,000 match, offered that evening only by the FJK Private Foundation, a grand total of $64,000 was raised for scholarships!

YOU set a giving record for the WDSRA Foundation that evening!

Your support continues to inspire and humble us. Thank you for launching us into the next 40 years with such passion!

A Boy Named Charlie Brown

TROOP Drama, WDSRA's drama group, invites everyone to their spring performance of A Boy Named Charlie Brown. You'll laugh through the antics of Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus and Snoopy as Charlie Brown enters the school spelling bee!

Special Note: This will be Director Norm Engstrom's last performance before retiring to Arizona.

A Boy Named Charlie Brown

Saturday, March 12th
2:30-4:30pm
Wheaton Park District Community Center
1777 S. Blanchard Rd., Wheaton
Open to the public
Admission is $1

TROOP is the Theater Recreation Outreach Opportunity Program offered through WDSRA for individuals with special needs.

Trivia Night to Benefit Synergy AA

What is a great evening out for you and an easy way to help wheelchair basketball athletes get to Nationals in April?

If you guessed join us for Trivia Night---you are right! Just grab your friends, create a team and join us! This is the perfect way to enjoy a night out for food, drink and fun.

Friday, March 18th
Holiday Inn, Carol Stream
6:30pm, Trivia starts at 7pm
$200 per team or $20 per individual

Includes snacks, soda, cash bar and 1 drink ticket

21+ only
Details and registration can be found at www.synergyaa.com.

Proceeds will help offset travel expenses for the wheelchair basketball team heading to the National Wheelchair Basketball Tournament in Kentucky in April.

We are Hiring!

We are looking to staff several upcoming spring programs. If interested please contact us ASAP? Also, please share this with anyone you think who might be interested.

Spring Break Camp
3/28-4/1, 9am-3pm, Wheaton/Naperville

Needed: Staff

We are looking for full week and partial week commitments.

Special Olympics Track & Field

3/14-4/20, Mondays AND Wednesdays, 5:30-6:30pm, Carol Stream
Needed: Head Instructor

If you can only work one day please let us know as we may need to piece this together.

Special Olympics Soccer
3/9-5/11, Wednesdays, 5:30-7pm
Needed: Naperville-Head Instructor/Driver, Carol Stream-Assistant Instructor

Inclusion After Care
March-June, Mon-Fri, 3:30-6pm
DuJardin Elementry School, Bloomingdale
If you are going to be home for Spring Break, let us know as that might buy us some time to find a permanent staff replacement

Spring Soccer Referees

Carol Stream and Naperville

Dates TBD

PLEASE NOTE:

All staff are required to attend the Spring Seasonal Meeting
Monday, March 21st
WPDCC 6:30-7pm check in, 7-9:30pm Training

Please e-mail Heather at heatherr@wdsra.com if you are available to pick up any of the above programs or can sub.

WDSRA 40th Anniversary Highlight

Celebrating 40 Years!

It's our 40th anniversary! We are celebrating 40 years of bringing exceptional special recreation opportunities into the lives of families.

We have some very special surprises in the works. Be sure to watch your inboxes, mailboxes, Facebook and Twitter for more information.

Celebrating 40 years of Making Today Possible & Tomorrow Promising!

Anniversary Bowling Shirts

We are going back to our roots! Did you know that bowling was one of the very first WDSRA programs 40 years ago? It remains one of our most popular programs today!

To celebrate, WDSRA is offering EVERYONE the opportunity to own a piece of our history with a customized WDSRA bowling shirt.

You can only get this stylish shirt here. Shirts range from $29.75 to $37.75 depending on the size and are shipped directly to your home.

If you have any questions, please contact Danny at 630-681-0962 ext543 or dannyh@wdsra.com.

Community Partners

Sensory Friendly Theater

The Children's Theater of Western Springs is offering a sensory-friendly performance of Anne of Green Gables. There's no charge, but guests need to RSVP to the box office. The performance will be about 1� to 2 hours including an intermission.

Anne of Green Gables
Thursday, March 10th at 7pm
Children's Theater of Western Springs
4384 Hampton Ave., Western Springs
RSVP required

Contact Kelli at 708-246-3380 or boxoffice@theatreofwesternsprings.com.

Singing for STARS Family Services

Join STARS Family Services for their 7th Annual "Little Patch of Heaven" performance. The original script and music feature the talents of the Musical Moms (Jo Billingham, Marcia Macy and Robin Wiper), the Pretty Good Britches Band and Emcee Todd Busteed.

Little Patch of Heaven Radio Show
Friday, March 11th @ 7:30pm
Saturday, March 12th @ 3pm
College Church sanctuary, 332 E. Seminary St., Wheaton
Tickets required, freewill offering being accepted

For more details, visit www.starsfamilyservices.org. Radio show supports group homes for adults with intellectual disabilities.

Special Needs Screening--Zootopia

The city of Zootopia is a mammal metropolis where animals live and thrive. When Judy Hopps becomes the first rabbit to join the police force, she quickly learns how tough it is to enforce the law. Determined to prove herself, Judy jumps at the opportunity to solve a mysterious case. Unfortunately, that means working with Nick Wilde, a wily fox who makes her job even harder.

Zootopia
Saturday, March 12th @ 11am
Studio Movie Grill (SMG)
301 Rice Lake Square, Wheaton
Special needs children & their siblings are FREE. All other guests are $6/ticket.

The SMG Special Needs Screenings features family-friendly movies. Movies are shown with the lights up, the volume lowered and children are free to move around, talk or even dance in the aisles during the movie. Plus, order any menu item marked with the SMG Chefs for Charity badge and SMG will donate 5% of the proceeds to WDSRA.

WDSRA is committed to providing quality recreational programs, dedicated and trained staff, specialized equipment, and much needed scholarships. Your support provides the financial support needed to ensure that the cost of programs remains affordable throughout the year.

Western DuPage Special Recreation Association (WDSRA)

116 N. Schmale Road, Carol Stream, IL 60188-2103

P: 630-681-0962 | F: 630-681-1262 |