Community Corner
Fun With a Meaning: A Brief History of Family Faire
Members of the L-W area community took a national tragedy and turned it into an opportunity to make a difference.
Next week will be the 12th annual Asset Celebration, which features a Saturday Family Faire. The following written by Rachel Gilmore last year about how the two-day event came to be.
Not long after (the Columbine High School shootings), at a Lincoln-Way High School District 210 clergy breakfast, Superintendent Larry Wyllie asked his guests what our communities could do to prevent a tragedy like Columbine.
Pastor Dave Hedlin of Peace Lutheran Church in New Lenox was at that breakfast.
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"We knew we couldn't necessarily prevent something like that, but then Dr. Wyllie asked, 'What can we do to make a difference?' My ears perked up at that!" Hedlin said.
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Excited about the possibilities for positive change, Hedlin became one of the charter members in what is now called the TEAM (Teaching Everyone Assets Matter) Asset Committee. Together with other interested business, church, school and community leaders, Hedlin explored what the Lincoln-Way community could do to help young people succeed. The committee quickly discovered the Search Institute's Asset research and made asset building both their mission and framework.
"The more assets a young person has, the more likely they will be to succeed and the less likely they will be to engage in risky behavior," Hedlin said.
Each month throughout the Lincoln-Way area, the committee promotes a different asset, complete with a detailed explanation and inspirational quote. In addition, the four Lincoln-Way high schools each have an Asset coordinator who visits every classroom monthly with an educational presentation.
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No matter how much the Asset Celebration has evolved over the years, Hedlin is still amazed at what has stayed the same.
“The effort that this community puts forth in making the celebration happen in incredible,” he said. “There is great leadership from the churches, the schools, the park districts, the businesses. It’s really wonderful.”
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Family Faire is organized and run by five park districts--New Lenox, Mokena, , and Manhattan--under the guidance of TEAM Asset. However, Lewis pointed out that the Asset program is not just this once-a-year weekend celebration; it's a daily focus by area schools, churches and community organizations to promote positive character development in our youth.
12th Annual Asset Celebration
What: Battle of the Bands
When: 6:30-9:30 p.m. Friday, March 9
Where: , New Lenox
Cost: Free, but students must have school ID to enter.
What: Family Faire
When: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, March 10
Where:
What to expect: The fair begins with a pancake breakfast from 9 to 10 a.m. There will be games, crafts and live entertainment with a Dr. Seuss theme that will run until 1 p.m.
Cost: Free, but donations of small, new toys are requested for The Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation, an Orland Park-based pediatric oncology toy donation charity.
