Crystal Lake Parks Initiative Foundation looking to gain traction to build ball hockey rink

The bandshell at Crystal Lake Main Beach hosts dozens of events and concerts, a structure made possible by a nonprofit for the Crystal Lake Park District almost 30 years ago.

After years of inactivity, the nonprofit shut down in 2021 and another, called the Crystal Lake Parks Initiative Foundation, started up with a newfound energy.

Two years later, the foundation is looking to keep that energy alive. Last week, the Crystal Lake Main Beach bandshell officially was dedicated to the foundation in an effort to increase awareness among residents.

Their main focus continues to be raising money for a ball hockey rink at Woodscreek Park, President Byran Younge said. Plans to create the park were formed two years ago as the first project for the foundation to take on.

A main catalyst for the foundation’s start was the death of 5-year-old AJ Freund in 2019, Younge said.

“With AJ’s death, it propelled a lot of energy.”

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 1 in 7 children experienced child abuse or neglect last year. More than 1,700 children died of abuse and neglect in the U.S. in 2020.

The mission of the foundation is to provide safe places for at-risk children and improve all Crystal Lake residents’ quality of life. Younge said the parks can enhance security through community engagement that can be made at public parks.

“Parks can create a network of friends,” he said.

Younge anticipates they will need $100,000 to start development on the ball hockey rink. His goal is to raise at least $250,000 by the end of this year. He envisions the rink to have a mix of free and structured access to the park with programming that the park district can create.

The foundation is like an “arm of the park district,” Crystal Lake Park District Executive Director Jason Herbster said. The foundation can create projects and add amenities that would otherwise be outside of the park district’s budget.

Younge has a wish list of projects that the foundation can fund, including a rope course at Shamrock Park and scholarships for summer camps.

The foundation plans on bringing back the Cardboard Regatta event next summer. It’s an event where people can build a boat out of cardboard and race it on Crystal Lake. They were not able to host the event this year because of a lack of sponsorship support.

“We are in dire need of sponsorships for the rink and the cardboard regatta,” Younge said.

He hopes a large funder can bring in a key donation so they can reach their goals.

“That donation will be going a considerably long way for the kids in the area.”

Anyone can become a member of the Crystal Lake Parks Initiative Foundation through a $25 annual donation. Family donations are $40 and seniors and minors are $15 annually.

Herbster said that he is looking forward to the foundation starting over. He said the park district will help maintain any projects that the foundation will be able to fund.

“It’s just a feel-good thing. It’s kind of like selling blue skies. Who doesn’t want that?”