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Oak Brook Park District recreation supervisor loves working with seniors
Lynn Larson, recreation supervisor for the Oak Brook Park District. | Dan Luedert~Sun-Times Media
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Name: Lynn Larson
Likes to: bowl, read, run
Ran: the Chicago Marathon on 10-10-10
Active at: Christ Church of Oak Brook
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Updated: September 24, 2012 7:32AM
OAK BROOK — Working often with seniors in her job at the Oak Brook Park District has helped to partially fill a personal void for Lynn Larson.
The former newspaper reporter and member of the media relations staff at Adventist Hinsdale Hospital recently started her third year as recreation supervisor for adults and Pioneer program, the latter of which offers activities for those 55 and older.
“My parents have been gone for a long time,” Larson said. “We do a lot of trips with our seniors here, and I know my mother would have enjoyed these kinds of trips. Being involved here with the seniors is a way of remembering my parents.”
While Larson is involved with the planning and organization of adults programs for the park district, the bulk of her time is spent with the Pioneer program. Seniors came up on their own with the name for the park district’s program that serves them. Pioneer stands for positive, interesting, original, neat, exciting, enjoyable, recreating seniors.
“Being involved with them is very rewarding for me,” Larson said.
Bingo, movies and luncheons are conducted on site at the park district facilities, 1450 Forest Gate Road. Trips generally are one-day ventures to places in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin, including plays, concerts and museums. Larson said an annual trip for a Christmas performance by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is especially popular; 92 seniors went in 2011.
“There is quite a bit of planning and organization involved with the trips,” Larson said.
Larson said participants in the Pioneer program trips come from more than 80 communities. About half are Oak Brook residents.
“Residents can register for trips earlier, and the cost for them is less,” Larson said. “Sometimes, an Oak Brook resident will come and bring a relative or friend who doesn’t live right here. I’m very interested in feedback about the trips and am always open to suggestions for new things.”
Larson said she enjoys her involvement with the senior population that makes up those in the Pioneer program.
“They are intelligent, extremely interesting people,” she said. “The only thing is that they don’t like to drive, and our trips allow them to do many things without having to worry about driving themselves.”
