How a legacy in Yorkville was rebuilt inspiring hope for kids in the Caribbean

It’s not often dismantling feels like rebuilding, but when the date March 5 was chosen to dismantle Yorkville’s Emily Sleezer Park for a rebuild in the Dominican Republic, Scott Sleezer knew something beautiful was taking place.

“The park was named in honor of my daughter who passed away at a young age 23 years ago, and coincidently, March 5 was her birthday,” Sleezer said. “When the charity Kids Around the World picked that date for dismantling, I though it was fate. It fills me with a lot of emotions knowing her legacy continues spreading.”

For over two decades, Sleezer has served as Yorkville’s superintendent of parks, lately emphasizing inclusive playground opportunities for kids of all abilities. Providing all members of the community accessible playgrounds carries extra significance to him because his daughter had special needs and particularly enjoyed playgrounds.

Sleezer was introduced to the non-profit organization, Kids Around the World, by Yorkville’s retired parks director Dave Mogle. The Rockford-based charity dismantles older playgrounds, refurbishes their equipment, and reinstalls the playground in underprivileged countries around the world.

The charity reached out to the mayor of Cabrera in the Dominican Republic and decided on a location that would be the most impactful on the lives of the town’s citizens, both young and old. Sleezer was accompanied with 16 others involved with the charity, including Mogle and his wife, to travel to the city to complete the installation and participate in the ribbon-cutting celebration.

“They actually took the original Yorkville sign that reads, ‘Emily Sleezer Park’ and planted it there in-front of our finished playground, it was overwhelming,” Sleezer said. “To go as a parent who has lost a child, and to see your child’s legacy carried on that way, knowing how much happiness it’s going to bring to the children in that town, it’s pretty powerful stuff.”

Sleezer said by installing a new playground, the charity is providing something more than just recreation for the town’s kids.

“Besides just the hope it brings to the kids who don’t often get the chance to experience play this way, it helps them grow and develop mentally because the playgrounds are specifically designed to challenge the adolescent’s thinking skills and physical confidence,” Sleezer said. “This help brings hope to the whole community.”

Sleezer said exploring the economically depressed parts of the Dominican Republic made him realize how much we take for granted in the United States, especially in a town like Yorkville which has 29 playgrounds for the community’s children. He said it’s tremendous seeing what a big deal it is when a new playground is installed in poorer parts across the world.

“Kids Around the World likes to build these playgrounds in less developed areas so they can become a catalyst for change in those communities,” Sleezer said. “They’ll build one up and pretty soon a business will pop up next to it or maybe a church or some government development. Soon the playground kind of becomes the town center. It becomes a gathering place for both kids and adults, because once you develop a vacant piece of land, it helps transform everything around it.”

Sleezer said participating in the ribbon-cutting ceremony in Cabrera was particularly moving for him, especially when he spoke some words to the gathered crowd and the mayor made a touching speech thanking the volunteers, singling out Sleezer’s contributions.

“The mayor said we are all family to his town now,” Sleezer said. “I had probably 25 people come up and hug me, including the mayor. It was powerful. I feel such a special connection with that town now and can’t wait to go back. The whole time we had literally hundreds of kids waiting for us to finish so they could begin playing on the playground. It was so amazing seeing their faces so full of joy.”

Sleezer said he hopes Yorkville’s recent trend of donating their older playground equipment to the charity continues. He said not only does it cut down on waste by preventing the equipment from being scrapped into a landfill, but it also saves the city money in dismantling the equipment. He said when you consider the teaching experience it can provide to Yorkville’s citizens, the partnership is really a no-brainer.

“We are teaching members of our community to think globally, not just locally,” Sleezer said. “Kids are kids, no matter where then live, everybody loves to learn and have fun. By doing this we are providing hope. It helps make both our communities stronger.”