At The Conservation Foundation, we’ve adopted a “we believe” statement that reads: We believe everyone, regardless of where they live or their social-economic status, deserves clean water, clean air, nutritious food, and safe access to nature as a way to be healthy and happy.
It has been our honor to live out this statement in the community of West Chicago, thanks to our partners at WeGo Together for Kids and Healthy West Chicago and their willingness to creatively collaborate on impactful programming that is truly making a difference in their community! Combining their first-hand knowledge of the vibrant culture and needs of West Chicago’s large Spanish-speaking population with our work to prioritize access to green space and the enhancement of overall wellbeing has made it possible for all three of our organizations to reach more people, get them outside, and help them connect to nature and to key community resources. We celebrate these partnerships and their impact this National Hispanic Heritage Month.
WeGo Together for Kids is a collective impact initiative that supports West Chicago families with children from infancy to 12th grade. Our partnership began in 2023 as a result of our listening tour in West Chicago, and in 2024 we partnered on a truly memorable day where more than 150 people joined us for a variety of nature-based activities at our McDonald Farm headquarters. Each month, we join dozens of community members and resource partners in a gathering to share new ideas for meeting emerging community needs. And each year, at WeGo Together for Kids’ Back to School Backpack Giveaway event, The Conservation Foundation provides nature play activities for more than 1,200 kids, and our bilingual educators play a crucial role in bringing resources and new experiences to them.
Our partnership with Healthy West Chicago began about the same time through the DuPage Health Department. They have become an integral part of our DuPage Nature Rx Coalition, exploring ways to help as many West Chicago residents as possible become connected to the health benefits of time spent in nature. Most recently, Healthy West Chicago has become a Community Partner in The Conservation Foundation and Endeavor Health’s Take a Hike! Challenge, hosting an event, a registration page, and helping to translate registrations and trackers into Spanish to serve their population and others across DuPage County.
The best partnerships complement and amplify each other’s missions, making far deeper impact together than any one of them could make alone. This is most certainly the case in our work with both Healthy West Chicago and WeGo Together for Kids. Thank you for your support that makes these collaborations and this impact possible!