Alex Stanley, 31, never went fishing before Tuesday.
Now he has, thanks to Adventure Club, a Chicago Park District program that brings dozens of children and adults to Northerly Island every summer to try new outdoor activities.
“I like being here,” said Stanley, who was attending Adventure Club for the first time. “Everything’s fun for me.”
Stanley said he had experience hiking during past travels, including trips to Las Vegas, Baltimore and Puerto Rico, but Tuesday marked his first time trying fishing and other activities offered through Adventure Club.
“This one was mostly exciting,” Stanley said. “Fishing needs to be a new thing right now.”
Besides fishing, Adventure Club also offers kayaking and archery to the campers, who are in the Park District’s Special Recreation program for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. The idea is to offer activities that might otherwise be difficult to enjoy casually because they cost too much or the equipment is harder to use.
Campers kayak in Burnham Harbor on Tuesday during Adventure Club, the Chicago Park District’s Special Recreation program at Northerly Island. The program brings children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to the island for a day of fishing, kayaking, and archery.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
Although he was used to other outdoor activities, Stanley was still excited to participate in new experiences with the other campers.
Adventure Club began in 2021 following the COVID-19. The program offered participants a chance to reconnect with nature following the pandemic. At first, it, offered only kayaking, said Eileen Guinane, a Special Olympics Administrator and 20-year employee.
“We started with the kayaking, and when we saw how beautiful it was back here and how much fun our guys had learning and being exposed to new activities, we kind of expanded and added the fishing and the archery,” Guinane said.
The program has become so popular that it has routinely filled up each summer, with camps from across the city rotating through — and some who apply being turned away. Those applicants get priority the next summer.
Like Stanley, those who go may get to do something they’d never tried before.
“It allows them to kind of experience something they had no idea that they even liked,” she said.
Zachary Fox, volunteers for Adventure Club and has worked for the Park District for 25 years. Introducing participants to outdoor recreation beyond traditional sports helps broaden their experiences, he said.
“It’s nice being able to bring something that they only get to do when we bring it to them,” Fox said. “They don’t get to do stuff like this all the time.”
Despite last week’s extreme temeratures, Fox said participants were still excited to spend time outdoors.
“Everyone’s still smiling,” he said. “Even with the heat and everything that’s been going on, it’s just great seeing how happy everybody is when they’re getting to do everything that we offer them.”
Volunteers also learned about the outdoor activities themselves as they helped campers paddle kayaks, cast fishing lines, and assist with archery.
Those volunteers included the University of Illinois Chicago women’s basketball team. Aileen Becerril Landeros, a guard for team, said the event’s positive atmosphere stood out to her.
“It’s been fun. A really nice environment. I think the people are great. The staff has been very welcoming,” she said. “I mean, what’s not to like? You get to be outside, you get to be with some good people, and just enjoy each other.”
Adventure Club is funded by Special Children’s Charities, which has partnered with the Chicago Park District for more than 57 years to support recreation opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
In addition to Adventure Club, the organization funds year-round sports leagues, field trips and other recreational programs serving thousands of Chicagoans each year.