Gateway Special Recreation Association

10/10/2026

🏐🐊 TWO TEAMS. ONE GATOR FAMILY. BIG-TIME GATOR PRIDE! 💚🔥

Our Gators Volleyball teams have been SERVING up some serious excitement, and we've got plenty to celebrate!

🏐 FIRST STOP: TR TOURNAMENT!
Both teams hit the court for the Therapeutic Recreation Volleyball Tournament, proudly hosted by Gateway SRA!

🏆 NEXT UP: SPECIAL OLYMPICS ILLINOIS QUALIFIER!
Our Gators brought the energy, determination, and teamwork!

💚 GREEN TEAM — AN INCREDIBLE PERFORMANCE!
❤️ RED TEAM — HEADED TO STATE! 🎉🏆

From every serve and every rally to every cheer from the sidelines, these athletes continue to show us what Gator pride is all about!

👏 A HUGE shoutout to our athletes, coaches, and amazing team members who make it all happen!

Two teams. One family. Endless Gator pride! 🐊💚

🏐 PLAY WITH HEART. BUILT THROUGH TEAMWORK.

09/08/2026

🐊💚🌊 SENSORY-FRIENDLY SWIM IS BACK!

We’re excited to partner with our friends at Oak Brook Park District for another sensory-friendly swim experience at Splash Island this Sunday!

💦 Quieter environment
💚 Fewer distractions
🌊 Space to swim, splash, and enjoy the water at your own pace

Creating welcoming recreation opportunities means making space for everyone to experience the FUN—and we love working alongside our community partners to make that happen!

Best part? It’s FREE! 🙌

Pre-registration is highly encouraged, but not required. Check out Oak Brook Park District’s post below for all the details!

🐊💚 Come splash with us this Sunday!

Before Splash Island wraps up the season, make the most of one of its final weekends with Gateway Special Recreation Association on Sunday, September 13 at 11am. 💙🌊

This FREE sensory-friendly swim experience is designed with comfort and accessibility in mind. To help create a calmer pool environment, there will be:
✅ No music
✅ No water features
✅ No loud whistles (except in the case of an emergency)
✅ Early Access at 11am to Splash Island before Public Open Swim begins at 12pm

☕ Parents and caregivers are invited to enjoy complimentary coffee and connect with Gateway Special Recreation staff while learning more about available programs and services, sharing experiences, and building supportive relationships within the community.

Everyone is welcome as we create a fun, inclusive space where all families can feel comfortable and connected.

📲 Pre-registration is highly encouraged: https://bit.ly/4fyfrv1

09/04/2026

🍒 DOOR COUNTY: UNLOCKED! 🔓🐊💚

Gateway SRA took Wisconsin by storm! 🚐✨
Our summer vacationers packed their bags and headed north for a Door County getaway filled with adventure, friendship, and plenty of memories along the way!

🌊 Scenic views & beach time
⚓ Exploring the Door County Maritime Museum
🛍️ A little vacation shopping
🎭 An outdoor performance of Butter to Gold
🥾 Exploring Whitefish Dunes State Park
🐦 A visit to Open Door Bird Sanctuary
🐟 And because you can't do Door County without it… a traditional fish boil!

But the best part? Experiencing it all together. 💚Trips like these are about more than where we go—they're about new experiences, independence, friendships, laughter, and having stories to bring home.

A huge shoutout to our incredible Gateway SRA team members who helped make this adventure possible and kept the fun rolling from departure to the ride home! 🙌

Door County—you were good to us. 🍒

Where should we unlock next? 🔓

09/03/2026

🎯 AIM. ROLL. CELEBRATE. 🐊💚

What a day for our Gateway SRA Gators Bocce athletes at the Special Olympics Illinois Region C Qualifier!

Our Gators came ready to compete, cheer each other on, and represent Gateway SRA with plenty of determination, teamwork, and Gator pride! 💚

👏 Congratulations to ALL of our Bocce athletes on a fantastic competition!

And now for some BIG news...

🏅🐊 THREE GATORS ARE HEADED TO STATE!
Three of our athletes qualified to compete at the Special Olympics Illinois State Games this November! We can't wait to cheer them on as they represent the Gators on the state stage! 🎉

And a huge shoutout to our incredible Gators coaches! Thank you for the countless practices, encouragement, patience, and support you give our athletes. These moments don't happen without you. 💚

Built through teamwork. Played with heart. Proud to be Gators. 🐊💚🎯

08/29/2026

🦁🎨🎶🏎️ ELEVATE…WHERE NO TWO DAYS LOOK THE SAME! 💚

This week took us from the zoo to the library, through a little creativity and Disney trivia, and finished at FULL SPEED! 🙌

🦁 Monday: Exploring Lincoln Park Zoo
📚 Tuesday: Living it up at the Elmhurst Library
🎨 Wednesday: Northern Lights chalk pastels + moon & stars wall hangings
🎶 Thursday: Music jams + What’s That Disney Song? trivia 🎤✨
🏎️ Friday: Cruising into the weekend at Volo Auto Museum!

Five days. Five completely different adventures. One incredible Elevate week. 💚

And behind every outing, creation, song, laugh, and memory—our AMAZING team members making it all happen! 👏💚

Elevate the day. Elevate the experience. Elevate together.

08/27/2026

🐊💚🏈 FIRST SEASON. FIRST TOURNAMENT. AND WE’RE JUST GETTING STARTED!

A BIG congratulations to our Gators Flag Football Team on bringing home 4th place at Sunday’s TR Tournament! 🙌

This is the very first season for our new flag football team, and with every practice, every game, and every play, these athletes are learning, growing, and building as a team. 💪

And a HUGE shout-out to our incredible coaches for teaching, encouraging, and helping this new team find its groove! 👏💚

Fourth place is just the beginning…we can’t wait to see where this team goes next!

🐊 Play with heart.
💚 Built through teamwork.
🏈 GO GATORS!

08/24/2026

☀️🧱 STILL BUILDING SUMMER MEMORIES AT GATEWAY SRA! 💚

August Adventure Days kept the summer fun rolling—and we packed in some pretty incredible adventures along the way!

🌶️ Lunch at Chili’s + Scene75 (because Chicagoland weather had other plans! 🌧️😂)
⚾️ Cheered on the Chicago White Sox
🏰 Traveled back in time at the Renaissance Faire
🚤 Took in the city from the water on a Chicago Boat Tour
⚾️ Caught some more baseball with the Kane County Cougars!

📸 We're sharing some of our favorite moments from our White Sox adventure today—and while the **W** may have been missing, the fun definitely wasn't! 😂⚾️

And just when you thought our summer adventures might be winding down...

🚐💨 ROAD TRIP!

Some of our Gateway SRA travelers are already off on their Door County Summer Vacation! 🌊☀️

So stay tuned...because apparently we're not done building just yet. 😉🧱💚

08/15/2026

🔓🍂 WE BUILT IT… NOW IT’S YOUR TURN TO UNLOCK IT!

🚨 FALL REGISTRATION OPENS TOMORROW! 🚨

A new season of Gateway SRA adventures is waiting—and the key is in YOUR hands! 🔑💚

🔓 Unlock new friendships
🔓 Unlock new experiences
🔓 Unlock new skills
🔓 Unlock more ways to move, create, explore & HAVE FUN!

From sports and social programs to special events, trips, recreation and more—there’s a whole season waiting to be discovered.

📅 Fall Registration Opens TOMORROW!
📖 Grab the Fall 2026 Recreation Guide, find your favorites, and get ready!

🧱 We built the opportunities.
🔓 Now YOU unlock the adventure.

💚🐊 Let’s make this Fall one to remember!

08/07/2026

🔓 Unlocking new experiences... one adventure at a time! 💚

What a week with Elevate!

🩺 Explored the International Museum of Surgical Science & North Avenue Beach

💪 Focused on fitness with yoga, aerobics & sand volleyball

🥫 Packed donations for our Elevate-sponsored food drive

🤝 Volunteered at Feed My Starving Children

🌯 Wrapped up the week cooking chicken wraps, fruit salad & s'more cookie cups

Every day is another opportunity to build confidence, gain independence, try new experiences, and create lasting memories.

A huge shout-out to our incredible Elevate team members for making every adventure possible! 💚👏

08/06/2026

🧱 One Last Brick. One Incredible Summer. ☀️💚

As another unforgettable Gateway SRA Summer Camp comes to a close, we're reminded that what we built this summer goes far beyond arts and crafts, field trips, games, and laughter.

Together, we built...

💚 Friendships that will last long after summer ends.
🌟 Confidence to try something new.
😂 Countless laughs and unforgettable moments.
🤝 A community where everyone belongs.
☀️ Memories that our campers, families, and camp team will carry with them for years to come.

To our incredible campers—thank you for bringing your smiles, your energy, and your adventurous spirits each and every day.

To our amazing families—thank you for trusting us to be part of your summer.

And to our outstanding Counselors, Activity Supervisors, Site Supervisors, Camp Coordinator—thank you for making this summer unforgettable. Your patience, creativity, leadership, and dedication created a place where every camper felt welcomed, supported, and encouraged to grow. The impact you made reaches far beyond the final day of camp.

As we close another incredible summer, we celebrate not only the memories we made, but the confidence, friendships, and sense of belonging we built together.

🧱 This summer, we didn't just create a camp...

💚 We built confidence.
💚 We built friendships.
💚 We built belonging.

Built at Gateway SRA 💚

🍂 The summer may be ending... but the adventure is just getting started🔓