Page 47 - October Newsletter

rooms in the existing school building.
The facility will also allow students and their families to cel-
ebrate once-in-a-lifetime milestones, such as graduation and prom, as they gather in the auditorium. The safety of the stu- dents and staff will increase due to the new parking lot and side- walk, which will enhance the operations at arrival and dismiss- al. Additionally, the new facility will be utilized for community needs for organizations like the UIC Cancer Support Group, the Veteran’s Administration, Special Olympics and more.
The center will include a gymnasium, running track, fitness loft, locker rooms, auditorium, stage, office and conference suites, kitchen with pantry, event staging area, storage and parking. It’s designed specifically to serve the needs of children with autism by mitigating outside factors such as noise, buzzing lights and so on.
So to call this day groundbreaking might be an understate- ment. Life-changing is more precise.
“I’ll tell you what, it’s a beautiful day for our students,” Muri began his remarks to those attending the ceremony. “Our kids deserve nothing but the best. With that commitment and the generosity of many of you folks who are here today, we are now officially breaking ground in our Building a Healthier Tomor- row.”
The groundbreaking ceremony ended with the ceremonial ground-breaking. Graham, Rocky and Angel joined Muri, State Senator Patricia Van Pelt, 28th Ward Alderman Jason Ervin, Easterseals Chairman of the Board Andrew Sprogis and other dignitaries to don the hard hats, grab the shovels and strike the pose. It was ceremonial, of course, but symbolic in that the FOP will always be there to do the heavy lifting whenever Easterseals calls. d
CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ OCTOBER 2017 47