North Riverside trustees voted unanimously last week to allow UCP Seguin of Greater Chicago to host its 2nd Annual Stroll & Roll fundraiser in Commons Park and on nearby side streets on Sunday, June 11.
Julie Lerch, chief development office for UCP Seguin, told elected officials at their meeting May 15 that the event involves participants walking one to three loops of a roughly one-mile course that will begin in Commons Park, located behind the Village Commons, 2401 Desplaines Ave.
Walkers will follow the bike path east to Hainsworth Avenue and then head south to 25th Street, where they’ll head west to Keystone Avenue and back north to the park.
While the entire event itself, from setup to breakdown, is expected to last from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., the residential side streets would be used for just about 45 minutes of that time.
A majority of the individuals participating in the Stroll & Roll have mobility issues, Lerch said, and likely would be completing just one loop of the course.
UCP Seguin, whose president and CEO is North Riverside Mayor Joseph Mengoni, is a Cicero-based nonprofit organization serving children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The organization operates 90 group homes for adults with disabilities in the Chicago suburbs, including one on 7th Avenue in North Riverside. Those facilities stretch from Cicero to DuPage County.
Lerch said the course would be well marked and that volunteers would usher participants safely along the way. Volunteers would also trail during the final loop to clean up any trash and remove signs marking the course. UCP Seguin will be providing participants with reusable water bottles, so there should be little in the way of trash in any case, Lerch said.
“We are hosting this event as a way to bring our individuals who we serve with disabilities and our families and the community together to get outside, to have some activity and raise a little bit of money,” said Lerch.
Last year’s inaugural Stroll & Roll was held in Wheaton.
“We were able to raise about $17,000 last year, which for us is wonderful, unrestricted dollars that we’re able to then put back into our homes and into the programs and services we provide for the individuals that we serve,” Lerch said.
Setup in Commons Park and along the course route will start at 7:30 a.m., with registration opening at 9 a.m. The Stroll & Roll starts at 10 a.m. Afterward there will be a post-stroll party with a light lunch in Commons Park. The rain date is June 25.
People wishing to participate can register at ucpseguin.org/get_involved/events/stroll-roll.html. Fees are $25 per walker/roller or $100 for families of four or more. Kids under 4 are free.
For more visit ucpseguin.org.
