Purple Line Adventure Play

12/09/2025

Our fundraiser for next summer is still on! Your donation will be matched!
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/donate-to-boost-kids-developing-agency-and-creativity?fbclid=IwY2xjawOkXPdleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFiQTZJVFBSNE83V3lGenNKc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHjD4Gn6aU1bXDlsh2J0ZQV4PNAfzsdX_jSwKe3K-j3SalVn5uOMF0GRVCDv7_aem_5Slqo1XhVNn5lvXghvuAgg

Remember play? Kids who play develop resilience, agency, and a sense of belonging. Since 2019, Purple Line Adventure Play has provided children with opportunities to play freely and make connections right in their Elks Park neighborhood. Our participants are 90% children of color. Most come from imm...

11/29/2025

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/donate-to-boost-kids-developing-agency-and-creativity
Giving Tuesday alert! Help us run our FREE program at Elks Park next summer! Please donate and share! And thank you very much for your support!

11/27/2025

Heads up: we didn't win a grant for next summer's program, so we are putting together a fundraiser. Unfortunately, Facebook suspended our fundraising tools for unknown reasons. We are figuring out a different way to do it. In other words, there will be a fundraiser for this Giving Tuesday and it will be posted in the next few days.

07/31/2025

Resting after playing hard

07/29/2025

"Playing a game together actually builds up bonds and trust and cooperation. We actually build stronger social relationships as a result. ”~ a quote from Jane McGonigal, a game designer

The photo below is from last Saturday, when the neighborhood around Elks park had a block party--possibly for the first time ever, but definitely the first one in years. The two on the picture would likely have never met if it weren't for our program, even though they live in buildings that are next to to each other. One is a rising 6th grader and originally from Evanston, and the other is a rising kindergartener who is originally from Haiti and who ended up in Evanston via a long route through Brazil. The older one is taking the little one across the street to get some yummy food at the block party. When we see this kind of thing happening, we feel our effort is not wasted. Kids feel they have a village around them and get empowered by contributing to the village. Let's hope this kind of experiences will keep them stronger and happier as years go by.

07/16/2025

"Grandma, untangle us!" -- game from my childhood 😂

06/13/2025

Wild fort building, water fun, and crazy dress up the last few days. The kids now pretty much all know each others's names!!! Nathan, one of our "senior" playworkers, believes that they now come up with these grandiose projects because they feel so at home with each other and with us. They feel safe and welcomed and so they start growing agency!
Also, there's been a ton of styling and coloring of dolls' hair, so we're looking for more dolls!!!

06/08/2025

We have had about 130-140 visits in first three days! Kids scampering, building, digging, chatting, making friends, laughing, squealing, jumping, swinging, climbing... What a joy to see all this!

06/01/2025

Crazy hammocks!

05/31/2025

We had an awesome first day today! Around 60 kids, I think. Although I lost count. Slime, basketball, forts, sand and water play, swings and hammocks! And 4 amazing playworkers--two experienced and two just starting. Thank you, Ridgeville Park District, Evanston Community Foundation, our friends in the condo building at the southeast corner of Main and Ridge who have been giving us storage space for the last several years ( Lovinger), and the Evanston restaurants who have kindly donated gift cards for our raffle! (See an earlier shoutout post).

05/31/2025

We need dolls of all kinds! DM if you have at least 4-5. Thank you!

05/30/2025

We are looking for donations of beads and pipe cleaners. Picture below for more attention. :)