The sound of dropping pins and rising cheers filled Suburbanite Bowl in Westmont on the morning of December 6, when the South East Association for Special Parks And Recreation (SEASPAR) partnered with St. Francis Xavier School of La Grange for a special bowling event for people with disabilities.
Fifty-seven sixth-grade students from St. Francis Xavier teamed up with adults with disabilities participating in programs with SEASPAR for a few leisurely games of bowling. The students assisted participants with tasks from selecting balls, to setting up ramps for players in wheelchairs to – most importantly – cheering on their new friends.
The bowling event is just one aspect of an 11-year partnership between SEASPAR and St. Francis Xavier. Each year since 2008, SEASPAR hosted an Ability Awareness program for the sixth-grade class to educate the students about interacting with people with disabilities through activities such as wheelchair basketball and sign language practice.
In turn, the students, along with their parents and teachers, regularly volunteer at SEASPAR programs. St. Francis Xavier students have provided their assistance at various events, including SEASPAR’s Holiday Spectacular, Karate, Music Mania, Bingo, Glee Club, Alley Cats, Strikers, Power Soccer, and Turkey Shoot programs and events.
For more information about SEASPAR’s recreational programs and services for individuals with disabilities, visit SEASPAR.org or call 630-960-7600.
