A NEW PLAYGROUND FOR ALL
Community support helps Brook Forest Elementary School reach fundraising goals
People love it when a plan comes together. It’s even better when it benefits the whole community. Just ask the families of Brook Forest Elementary School who undertook one of the biggest fundraising efforts in the school’s history. The objective – to replace the nearly 30-year-old playground at Brook Forest Elementary School – has been achieved.
About a year ago, Brook Forest subdivision resident Anthony Pesek noticed the playground outside Brook Forest Elementary School was in disarray. As the father of three children, one of whom is a student at the school, Pesek began a ‘talking campaign’ of sorts to get the word out and gauge the interest of others in replacing the playground. “I mentioned it to other parents and attended school board meetings and Board of Education infrastructure meetings.”
Pesek brought photos to the meetings to demonstrate the level of the playground’s disrepair. “I mentioned that our school is ranked second in the state, and the playground really does not reflect or align with who we are as a district,” he relayed, “but most importantly, it’s not ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant.”
Resham Mendi, Jen Skinner, Seana Scheid, Anthony Pesek, Dr. Paul O’Malley, Jackie Pesek, and Nella Sansguiri present the fundraising check at the Board of Education meeting in early April.
Meanwhile, Pesek took the initiative to get the ball rolling toward the prize – a new, safe, inclusive playground at Brook Forest Elementary School. He contacted Landscape Structures Inc., a Minnesota company that had built the school’s previous playground and has built nearly 80,000 playgrounds worldwide. Their local distributor, NuToys Leisure Products Inc. in Westchester, created design renderings of a new space and a cost proposal. Working in construction management, Pesek knows the value of presenting a plan when an idea is proposed, as it gives people the opportunity to offer feedback before formally buying into a project.
“It’s one thing to talk about an idea, but to have renderings and a proposal at the starting point goes much further,” Pesek shared. “Once I had renderings, I could go to the administration with some of the work already done. They were very receptive and started the appropriate vetting process.”
From there, the project was introduced to the school architect, construction manager, teachers, staff, and students. District Superintendent Dr. Paul O’Malley formed the Playground Advisory Committee, which allowed parents to perform playground site visits of recently completed area playgrounds and weigh in with ideas. Students were given surveys of what they might like to see at a new playground. Designs began to form based on feedback from these various groups.
Every year, the school district generates a capital needs report. While playground replacement was recognized on the list, it fell among nine or ten other big-ticket items. Over the past few years, the district embarked on a $20 million capital improvements project for classroom renovations, technology upgrades, and school security. The installation of these necessities was dovetailed with unforeseen e-learning during the pandemic. While playground updates were on the list, they weren’t the first item.
Jen Skinner, Seana Scheid, and Jackie Pesek (in dolphin costume) fundraise at school dropoff.
A petition went out to the community to highlight support for the idea of a new playground. Pesek and his wife, Jackie, along with other district parents, Resham Mendi, Seana Scheid, and Jen Skinner, met with the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO). A Playground Subcommittee, to be backed by the PTO, was formed. “Anthony had approached me a few times before I initially agreed to be part of the subcommittee,” said Mendi. “But when I saw how serious he was about the initiative, I knew I wanted to be part of it. He has done an amazing job.”
To gain a better understanding of what needed to be done, the group met with representatives from District 181 (Hinsdale) who had updated several of their school playgrounds over the last few years. “The advice 181 gave us, along with the support of our Superintendent, Dr. Paul O’Malley, has been indispensable throughout this process,” Pesek acknowledged.
Not long later, the group presented their case at a school board meeting to move the project forward and gain fundraising approval.
The Playground Committee was thrilled when the board not only agreed to allow the effort to proceed but also threw their proverbial hat into the project by agreeing to incur some of the additional costs beyond the equipment, such as demolition of the existing park, installation, concrete work, drainage, and new playground surfaces.
So began the biggest fundraising campaign in Butler 53 school district’s history—Make Waves for The Dolphin Playground. The board officially approved the fundraising on March 10. Two days later, fliers went home with students to formally announce the capital campaign. During PTO Match Week, the committee learned their efforts would be generously matched after they raised the initial $100,000 from PTO reserves. $100,000 quickly surpassed $200,000.
Everyone got on board. To keep interest levels up while raising money, incentives included rewards like pizza parties, ice cream events, and magic shows as they hit various fundraising milestones. Many businesses, as well as the Village of Oak Brook, contributed financially and through publicity in village communication. The Brook Forest Homeowners Association also pledged financial support.
Superintendent O’Malley is thrilled with the outcome. “There are some very dedicated dads and moms in this district,” he acknowledged. “They’re an amazing group that speaks miles about the commitment of parents in education.”
At the time of publication, the Make Waves for Dolphin Playground campaign surpassed the fundraising goal of $256,117 propelled by continuous community support. If all goes as planned, construction will take place over the summer and be ready by the time school opens for the 2025-26 school year. And that’s how a successful, well-executed, grassroots campaign organized by a few committed citizens can make all the difference.
Please visit MakeWavesD53.com to learn more about the new playground and community efforts.
