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player ready...At 8 years old David Kelly first became involved in Fox Valley Special Recreation Association to help him prepare to participate in Special Olympics.
Up until that point, he had only watched his four older siblings play sports.
Today, the 30-year-old who has Down syndrome participates in multiple sporting and social activities such as downhill skiing in Colorado and country line dancing throughout the year with the association.
Through the group, he got the chance to participate in sports and had so many other opportunities, his mother Joelle Kelly said.
The activities also have been challenging for him which is something he needed, she said.
The organization has meant so much to the Kelly family that one of David’s sisters became a certified therapeutic recreation specialist.
Kelly has volunteered for the organization for more than 20 years. For the last several months, Kelly, along with several other volunteers, has been gathering baskets for the organization’s annual barbecue and basket raffle.
“Each basket has a theme and includes trips, tickets to events, and gift certificates to restaurants,” she said.
Over the years, the barbecue has grown into a large community event with over 1,000 people attending each year.
Many of the special recreation participants help serve and clean tables, Kelly said.
“They really are a big part of this event,” she said.
Working with seven different park and recreation agencies from the area, the association provides its own recreation services for children and adults with disabilities including social, athletic, and cultural programs, Mike Selep, assistant director for the association, said.
Each year the group serves about 1,500 individuals, both children and adults, he said.
The group also provides support if an individual wants to take a park district class, he said.
“We either provide a companion or training to park district staff to ensure that individual child or adult can be successful in that program,” Selep said.
St. Charles resident Jori Hurckes, 21, experienced seizures as an infant and has some difficulty using her left side.
Throughout her childhood, she participated in the association’s gymnastics program and competed with Special Olympics when she was younger, according to her mother, Jodie Hurckes, who is one of the founding board members of the Fox Valley Special Recreation Foundation, a nonprofit established in 2010 to support the goals and ideals of the Fox Valley Special Recreation Association.
She now works part-time at the association, helping out with different activities including gymnastics, Hurckes said.
Fox Valley Special Recreation Foundation barbecue and basket raffle
When: 4 to 7 p.m. April 13
Where: Prisco Fitness Center, 150 W. Illinois Ave., Aurora
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What: Diners can select from pork chops, chicken or combo meals and can get drive-through service, dine in or get carry-out. Meal tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Hot dog meals for children are also available for $5. The event will also feature a basket raffle with 20 different baskets.
For more information: www.fvsrfoundation.org