ValPLAYso Children’s Committee Receives $250,000 Donation from Family Express

A thank you was in order as the Children’s Committee of ValPLAYso gathered at the Family Express Corporation to hear an exciting announcement from brothers Alex, Dimitri, and Spiro Olympidis. Family Express donated $250,000 towards the construction of the new and more accessible park for the community to enjoy for years to come.

After the children were able to tour the in-house Family Express store, they were treated with slushies and gathered together for the announcement made by director of operations, Alex Olympidis.

“Our community is in the beginning stages of a monumental project. Just like 20 years ago, our community has focused on revitalizing what we would consider a shining ornament of the Valparaiso and Porter County community. We are really lucky because we have a community and a Parks and Recreation Department that cares about our children and providing a wonderful park,” said Alex Olympidis.

The funds donated by Family Express will directly affect “The Next Generation” effort of the Valpo Parks Foundation working towards rebuilding the beloved park. The new park will focus on addressing the issues of safety, accessibility, visibility and functionality.

The Children’s Committee has been working hard to contribute their ideas and have been instrumental in planning the new park.

“Getting the children involved is what it is all about. The children are coming up with great ideas and they are having so much fun. It is a unity-built park with the help of the community and the ideas from these children,” said general co-coordinator of the ValPLAYso project, Kaye Frataccia.

The folks at Family Express are more then happy to contribute to a great project that the brothers were, in fact, involved with the first time around.

“20 years ago, what I remember about building ValPLAYso is that incredible sense of community. I remember the feeling of ownership that we all got because we had done it ourselves. It was ours. We are lucky that, 20 years later, we have a Parks Department and community of people that are thinking not only about maintaining such a miraculous shining ornament, but preserving it, and even improving it,” said Olympidis.

The kids of the Children’s Committee for The Next Generation ValPLAYso were all smiles as they got to look around the corporate office of Family Express and receive such a generous donation to the project that they have been working hard to help out with. The goal of completing the new park is even closer in sight as these funds will help the committee move forward.

Click here for more photos from the announcement!