The Imagine Foundation will host a walk/run on Saturday, May 17 to raise money for new arts facilities at Oak Park and River Forest High School.
The event, “Walk, Run & Roll,” includes a 5K, a mile run for children 12 and under and a “walk and roll” for wheelchairs and strollers. “To make it a true family day, there will also be fun activities available for the kids,” said Imagine Foundation Executive Director Heidi Ruehle.
The event will take place at the OPRF track. The cost to enter is $50 for adults and $10 for students, and participants are encouraged to raise additional funds through pledges from friends and family, according to the event website. The Imagine Foundation is also seeking event sponsorships between $500 and $5,000.
Money raised will support Project 3, the third phase of construction in the five-step Imagine Plan. Project 1, most of which was completed in 2022, upgraded common spaces like the Welcome Center, library and South Cafeteria. Project 2, set
for completion in August, will provide a new athletic wing, including a pool. Project 3 is set to turn towards the musical arts spaces in OPRF.
Where Project 2 is upgrading the southeast corner of the building, Project 3 would focus on the southwest corner. The new facility would include spaces for band, chorus and orchestra; a black box theater and stagecraft workshop; and wrestling, gymnastics, cardio and adaptive gyms.
Project 3 has not been officially approved yet, and it needs funding to move forward. Oak Park and River Forest residents will likely vote on whether their tax dollars should pay for the project, according to comments made at a Jan. 15 meet-
ing of the District 200 Board of Education and reported by Trapeze.
The board voted earlier this year to spend $365,000 for FGM Architects to create schematic designs for the new arts spaces. Those designs will be presented
at the May 28 board meeting, according to Karin Sullivan, executive director of com-
munications and community relations.
The “Walk, Run & Roll” event is designed to build support for Project 3 in the Oak Park and River Forest communities, according to Ruehle. “The event serves as a vital touchpoint for the Imagine Foundation, allowing us to build broader awareness for our campaign while celebrating the vibrant spirit of OPRF,” she said.
Creating support for building up grades at OPRF has not always been easy. In 2016, a referendum was held about whether to replace the school’s two swim-
ming pools, originally constructed in 1928. That referendum failed by 28 votes.
Through the Imagine OPRF Work Group, founded in 2017, and the Imagine Foundation, established in 2019, the school board and a group of community
members have been working on solutions for funding building upgrades.
Project 1 was funded by the district’s cash reserves. Project 2 was funded by a
mixture of cash reserves, borrowed funds and private philanthropy–money raised
by the Imagine Foundation.
“We are currently focused on completing our $12.5 million commitment to Project 2,” Ruehle said, describing the project as “a transformative $102-million investment in one of our community’s most important institutions” that ensures “future generations of Huskies have the modern, accessible environment they deserve,” in an email.
Students are also involved in that effort.
OPRF senior George Barkidjija is an Imagine Foundation junior advisor and associate board member who joined through connections with the Future Philanthropists Program, an educational philanthropic organization in the Oak Park area.
Barkidjija joined the foundation board last year and is fulfilling his two-year term this school year. “It’s a bimonthly meeting. Everybody’s from all different sides of the community, which I think is a great thing because then we got a ton of
different perspectives,” he said. (Trapeze Editor-in-Chief Clara Lau is also an associate board member.)
Julia Max, also a senior at OPRF and member of the Imagine Associate Board through the Future Philanthropists program, has deemed her time at the Imagine Foundation a very positive experience full of valuable lessons.
“The most valuable lesson I have learned is that once you show that you care, others will too,” she said. “As I have gone on school tours, spread awareness, and gathered donations, I have had the opportunity to share why Imagine is so important to me. I have realized that once people see how much I and other students care, they take interest in Imagine’s mission.”
