Thanks to the generous donation from an anonymous donor, the Sunshine Community Services Center was able to take the staff, volunteers and some students from the Step Ladder Tutoring Program on a field trip to the Wild Life Prairie Park in Hanna City, IL on Tuesday May 24, 2016 and to dinner afterwards. We invited all students who attended our program from the 2015-2016 fall and spring school year. "Those who attended had an awesome time," stated Etta LaFlora, the agency's executive director. "The youth behaved so well, were very interested in variety of animals, displays, butterfly garden, and even enjoyed the two to three miles walk throughout the park.

Dr. Chris Sullens, superintendent of the Kewanee School District, was very supportive and helped arrange bus transportation for the trip. Phil St. John, a member of the Wild Life Prairie Park Association and Anita Blanks, who has been very active in supporting the Step Ladder Program, helped us to organize the event. Sara Tate, Wild Life's education director pictured holding the snake in the photo, gave us tours of the snake displays, held the giant turtle and owls while providing interesting facts about the animals. St. John, escorted us and gave us a tour of the rest of the park. He did an excellent job to make the trip enjoyable for everyone. There was so much to see such as the one room school house, log cabin, wild animals in their own habitat such as the bison, black bear, badgers, etc.Before living the park, we were donated tickets for the forty minute train ride around the facility. 

Site coordinator from Central School, Jesse Wheelhouse, AmeriCorps members, Victoria West, Rachel Wentworth and Jenni Eastman, volunteer tutor, Desiree Gleason, and tag day volunteers, Terry Johnson and Alexis Bral accompanied the students on the trip. After a long and fun day at Wild Life Prairie Park, we, along with St. John and our bus driver, Larry, ate at the Golden Corral Buffet in Peoria, IL.  "Everyone had such a good time that some of the kids wanted us to take them to a local park after returning to Kewanee." stated LaFlora.  We told them, "Not today, but we do look forward to providing other trips with the youth in the future."

Thanks again to the generous donor and those to help organize this event.