A big crowd came out to the Prisco Community Center for what city of Aurora officials called “a party with a purpose.”
Families came out in big numbers Thursday night as the city held its Aurora Youth and Family Resource Fair, a two-hour bash that kicked off at 6 p.m.
The popular fair that typically attracts about 400 people was back with music, food, raffle prizes and more than 40 community clubs and service providers that stood ready to offer information about local summer educational and recreational activities for young people.
Aurora Chief Communications and Equity Officer Clayton Muhammad said an in-person resource fair was held last fall during the school year and that having a follow-up in-person spring event was even more impactful.
“I think from a post-COVID perspective, we see an increase in summer activities happening again and so this allows parents to meet with those representatives in person and that’s the new piece here,” he said. “For a number of summers, we haven’t had these robust summer activities in person and they’re coming back and all of those program leaders are here at one place, one time. We didn’t want to miss the opportunity to make those connections that can really change kids’ lives.”
One organization likely to attract a lot of interest was the Fox Valley Park District.
Fox Valley Park District Executive Director Jim Pilmer spoke before the fair and said it has always been important to let the community know more about the district and its programs.
“Any time we can showcase the many things in this community for people to do – there could be after school programs or other service entities. There is not a lack of opportunity for youth in our community to participate, be it a sports league or a camp, theater group and many others,” Pilmer said. “The Fox Valley Park District’s piece of this is we cover 65 square miles and so there’s enough programming for everybody to get involved. The programs are here but what we have to continuously do is get them into the neighborhoods and into the areas where youth live.”
Pilmer added that transportation remains an issue in terms of getting people to these programs “which is why we partner with a lot of other organizations to get people there.”
Shannon Cameron, executive director for the Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry, said representatives from the pantry wanted to be on hand Thursday night to address continuing food insecurity issues in the area.
“It’s always great to get volunteers from something like this, but we’re really trying to get the message out about our services,” Cameron said. “We know that families have been really impacted by what’s been happening and we want to be a resource for those who may not have used the pantry before but need it now. Not everybody knows we exist, but we’re here and we can help alleviate some of the harsh realities of inflation right now.”
Representatives from the Northern Illinois Food Bank likewise were in attendance and according to Katie Scott of Naperville, who serves as a child nutrition program specialist, this was their first time at the fair.
“We are actually promoting our Meals on the Move summer lunch program for kids 18 and under,” Scott said. “We’re offering seven days’ worth of lunch and we serve them Monday through Friday at four different park locations so we visit each park each day. On Fridays we offer lunches for the weekends as well. We’re excited to be here and promote our program.”
Service providers including the Northern Illinois Food Bank as well as visitors spoke highly about the in-person format of the Thursday night event.
Jenna Hogg of Aurora said she was looking “for anything for the kids – day camp kinds of things, any kind of basketball, sports or dance is what my kids are into,” she said. “I like the format here – everything is here and I hope to leave with everything I need. It really is a one-stop shop.”
Aron Corral, also of Aurora, said he was looking for summer activities for his kids “especially summer camp – we’re always looking for something.”
“We have a 5-year-old and a 12-year-old and we try and keep them busy during the summer,” Corral said. “I think this is a great idea. It’s just so easy to know your options with everything under one roof.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
