General Recreation
NEDSRA offers a wide-range of programs each year. Seven-hundred programs and special events provide something fun for everyone. Check out our current brochure for these services and other programs.
Day Camps
NEDSRA offers several summer Day Camps to meet different needs of children from ages 4 to 18. These camps, held at various NEDSRA locations, focus on fun, socialization, and skill development through a variety of trips, camp activities, swimming and more. See our summer brochure for all the details.
Social Clubs
NEDSRA offers a venue for participants to have fun with the involvement of friends. Several social clubs provide for healthy leisure time activities. Activities range from attending dances and sporting events to evenings on the town. During some seasons participants even brainstorm and help plan the types of activities they want. These clubs are usually held on Friday and Saturday nights.
Art Therapy
Mirroring traditional and recreation programs, NEDSRA’s art classes are popular with all ages and abilities. From making hand-crafted holiday gifts to ceramics and painting, lesson plans are developed with careful consideration for each ability level NEDSRA serves.
Parties and Dances
The Sweetest Day Dance and Spring Formal as well as Fall Fling continue each year as favorite social times with NEDSRA participants. Social opportunities to attend other Special Recreation Association dances and seasonal parties are also a highlight for participants.
Outdoor Recreation
Adventure recreation activities have grown in popularity. Rock climbing programs, canoeing, kayaking and hiking are popular with many participants. Weekend getaways include popular mid-west destinations as well as week-long summer camp trips. For high-risk adventures, NEDSRA does request a high-risk waiver be signed prior to the activity.
Special Olympics Sports
In addition to NEDSRA’s general programs, individuals with a mental disability, ages 8 and older, are eligible to compete in Special Olympics. NEDSRA’s year-round Special Olympics program offers athletic opportunities at local, regional and state level competition. These experiences allow the athletes to grow emotionally as well as physically. Special Olympics sports offered at NEDSRA are Powerlifting, Bowling, Track and Field, Basketball, Golf, Soccer, Swimming, Volleyball, Bocce, Softball, Floor Hockey and Tennis.
Special Olympics Track and Field Meet
Each May, 200 athletes and more than 250 volunteers gather at Glenbard East High School in Lombard to enjoy the competition and festivities of this much anticipated event. The day begins with Opening Ceremonies, including the Parade of Athletes, Special Olympics oath and lighting of the torch. Events are the 50 meter dash, 200 meter dash, 400 meter relay, standing long jump and softball throw. Participants accept their awards throughout the day. Entertainment typically features clowns and live music. A free lunch and T-shirt are provided to all athletes and volunteers. This large event would not be possible without the assistance of NEDSRA volunteers and our valuable corporate sponsors Canon, Brown’s Chicken & Pasta, and Semblex.
Wheelchair Athletics
NEDSRA pioneered wheelchair and adapted sports in the DuPage County area. Our adapted and wheelchair sports program allows individuals the opportunity to play and compete in six popular sports. NEDSRA was chosen in 2002 as one of nine inaugural charter members for Blazesports ClubSM of America. This program is modeled after a pilot program developed in the State of Georgia by USDAF following the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games.
Wheelchair and adapted sports include:
- Jr. Wheelchair Bulls BlazeBasketball™
- BlazeTennis™
- BlazeTrack & Field™
- Adaptive Golf
- Beep Baseball
- Boccia
- Power Soccer
NEDSRA’s Wheelchair Sports Parent Booster Club
The Wheelchair Sports Parent Booster Club was established in 1999 in an effort to secure additional funding for such purposes as travel costs, uniform apparel, sponsorship of local events and other expenses incurred by the athletes and their families. Some of the adapted sports that benefit from these funds include wheelchair basketball, track and field, and bocce. NEDSRA appreciates the donations received in support of the Wheelchair Sports Parent Booster Club.