Our Story

Cost Should Never Keep Kids from Playing

The Elgin Parks & Recreation Foundation was formed in direct response to a gaping need created by the 2008 recession. When the City of Elgin was faced with the impossible task of cutting expenses across the board, the Parks & Recreation Department lost a significant portion of its budget, resulting in an end to all free programming for youth.

Passionate about the importance of recreation programming in the community and dedicated to making it accessible to everyone, a group of volunteers started raising money to fill this gap. The goal was to raise enough funds to allow at-risk youth the opportunity to participate in recreation programs.

All Donations Support Our Mission

The Foundation is still 100% volunteer-run, and approximately 95% of all overhead costs are directly paid by donations from the  Board of Directors.

That means that nearly every unrestricted dollar donated to the Elgin Parks & Recreation Foundation goes directly to making beautiful parks and excellent programming accessible to all residents.

Creating the Elgin Recreation Youth Scholarship Fund

Thanks to the generosity of those early donors, the Elgin Recreation Youth Scholarship Fund (ERYSF) was established. Credits were awarded to Elgin youth who were under age 18 and qualified for the free lunch program in School District U-46. Those credits could be applied to any youth recreation program offered by the City.

Due to their fundraising success, it soon became clear to the volunteers that a separate entity would need to be established in order to continue to legally accept tax-deductible donations and distribute funding. The Elgin Parks & Recreation Foundation was incorporated in 2013 and remains a certified 501(c)3 charitable organization.