Vittone Park in Naplate received a $2,034.88 grant from Starved Rock Country Community Foundation to purchase a concrete chess/checker table and assist with cost of the new gazebo. Additional funds by the Tenderloin Fundraiser, and in-kind contributions were made by Ruiz Construction for excavation and Grundy County Redi-Mix for the concrete. The project is a wonderful addition to Vittone Park, as it provides shade for families near the playground equipment and is accessible to all, with benches on three sides instead of four.
A unique piece of the story is that after Naplate Village Park Board Principal Officer, Jill Nevins, applied for a SRCCF Community Grant for the chess/checker table, the SRCCF Board of Directors approved payment from a long-standing existing fund, the Ottawa-Naplate Tornado Relief and Recovery Fund. That Fund was established in 2017 to assist with resident and community needs as a result of damage done by the tornado, which certainly included damage in and around Vittone Park. SRCCF assured donors that the funds would be kept safe to ensure they were spent appropriately. After nearly 10 years, the final payment from the Relief and Recovery Fund was used to approve the grant request to provide the chess table for all to use at Vittone Park. “What a great way to conclude years of administering the tornado fund and once again turning tragedy into triumph,” said SRCCF Co Founder, Pamela Beckett.
SRCCF has previously partnered with Vittone Park to help fund playground equipment in 2024 and sensory equipment in 2025. To learn more about Community Grant opportunities, click here.
