(Above) Pavilion at Ping Tom Memorial Park along south branch of Chicago River.
September 12, 2017 – At least 12 officials representing city, county, state, and federal government will jump into the Chicago River on Saturday morning for a fund-and-awareness-raising event hosted by Friends of the Chicago River. The officials include Jan Schakowsky, United States Representative for Illinois’s 9th congressional district, and Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Board President.
“They have agreed to do this,” confirmed Joanne So Young Dill, Director of Strategic Initiatives for Friends of the Chicago River, on Tuesday.
The list also includes Robert Kaplan, the Environmental Protection Agency’s acting regional administrator, State Treasurer Mike Frerichs, two state representatives, the executive director and three Metropolitan Water Reclamation District commissioners, City Clerk Anna Valencia, and 25th Ward Alderman Danny Solis.
Friends of the Chicago River says the event on the south branch near Ping Tom Memorial Park, co-hosted by MWRD Commissioner Josina Morita, “will highlight the collective work done to improve the river’s water quality and to show our commitment to making the Chicago River swimmable for all Chicagoans.”
Admission to the event is free and while the public is invited to watch, Friends of the Chicago River says they will not be allowed to jump into the river.
(Above) Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle hesitates for a moment before jumping into the Chicago River on Saturday morning. 15 people took the “big jump” to raise awareness of projects to improve the river’s water quality and make it swimmable someday. The event at Ping Tom Memorial Park along the south branch was hosted by Friends of the Chicago River. Also jumping, United States Representative Jan Schakowsky – the woman in background wearing a one-piece swimsuit and yellow life vest, State Treasurer Mike Frerichs, and Josina Morita, a Metropolitan Water Reclamation District commissioner. Photo obtained from by Ascene Chicago. (Click on image to view larger version.)
