Little City Foundation, Discover and KaBOOM! Build Playground for Children with Autism in Six Hours

On Friday, Sept. 24, more than 200 volunteers in the Chicago area will come together to build one of the first playgrounds for and by children with autism

PALATINE, Ill., Sept. 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Little City Foundation in partnership with Discover and KaBOOM!, will build a playground in six hours based on insight gathered from children with autism; the playground will serve more than 50 of the most vulnerable children in the Chicago area suffering from pervasive disabilities.

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Working with clinicians, parents and autism experts to obtain valuable feedback on playground elements, Little City and its partners identified elements that promoted healthy sensory stimulation as well as elements that soothed them appropriately.  

"Eighty percent of our children have autism and they have varying abilities so some drew images of what they would like to see on their dream playground, and some simply pointed and smiled," explained Shawn E. Jeffers, executive director of Little City.  

[Photo: http://www.littlecity.org/newsroom/9-22-10.aspx]

Little City children and staff worked together in July to identify their favorite "dream playground" that will live on Little City's 56-acre campus

"Our residential, community and home-based programs serve children who come to us from a full spectrum of circumstances ranging from abuse, neglect and abandonment, to loving families who have compassionately determined that out-of-home placement and substitute care is in the child's best interest," continued Jeffers.  "This playground will be one of the first of its kind in the area serving some of the most vulnerable children in our communities."

The playground will address sensory processing disorders and stimulate and spur healthy growth and development of children on the spectrum.

The playground will also serve as part of the new national model Little City plans to establish for a unique type of disability care based on its therapeutic community approach.

[Playground Design: http://www.littlecity.org/newsroom/9-22-10.aspx]

The playground will be one of the first of its kind specifically designed for children on the autism spectrum

Discover, funding a majority of the playground, is a long-time partner of KaBOOM! and has worked with the organization to build 15 playgrounds in the Chicago area.  Discover will send more than 140 volunteers on Friday to help build the playground as part of their Discover Cares Month initiative, where Discover employees across the country are volunteering in their communities during the month of September.

[Photo: http://www.littlecity.org/newsroom/9-22-10.aspx]

Discover and Little City volunteers ready the construction site today and tomorrow in preparation for hundreds of volunteers for Friday's build day

To support individuals with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities, visit www.littlecity.org/support.

For complete information, visit www.littlecity.org or contact Lisa Hoffmann (Little City Foundation) at [email protected] or 847-772-1129; Matthew Towson (Discover) at 224-405-5649; or [email protected]; or Mike Vietti (KaBOOM!) at 202-464-6076 or [email protected].

About Little City Foundation

For more than 50 years, Little City Foundation has developed innovative and personalized programs to fully assist and empower children and adults with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities. With a commitment to attaining a greater quality of life for Illinois' most vulnerable citizens, Little City actively promotes choice, person-centered planning and a holistic approach to health and wellness. Little City's ChildBridge services include in-home personal and family supports, clinical and behavior intervention, 24/7 residential services and special needs foster care and adoption. Little City's LifePath Adult Services offers a variety of residential options, employment opportunities, home-based services, case management, day supports, Special Olympics, an award-winning Center for the Arts and more. The organization has a 56-acre campus in Palatine and offices in Chicago. Visit www.littlecity.org.

About Discover

Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) is a direct banking and payment services company with one of the most recognized brands in U.S. financial services. Since its inception in 1986, the company has become one of the largest card issuers in the United States. The company operates the Discover card, America's cash rewards pioneer, and offers personal and student loans, online savings accounts, certificates of deposit and money market accounts through its Discover Bank subsidiary. Its payment businesses consist of Discover Network, with millions of merchant and cash access locations; PULSE, one of the nation's leading ATM/debit networks; and Diners Club International, a global payments network with acceptance in more than 185 countries and territories. For more information, visit www.discoverfinancial.com.

About KaBOOM!

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., KaBOOM! is a national non-profit organization dedicated to saving play. Through community building, the organization is focused on giving every child in America a great place to play within walking distance. Since 1996, KaBOOM! has used its innovative community-build model to bring together business and community interests to construct more than 1,800 new playgrounds, skate parks, sports fields and ice rinks across North America. KaBOOM! also offers a variety of resources, including an online community, free online trainings, grants, publications and the KaBOOM! National Campaign for Play, which includes Playful City USA and Playmakers – a national network of individual advocates for play. KaBOOM! also has offices in Chicago and San Mateo, Calif. For more information, visit www.kaboom.org.

SOURCE Little City Foundation