WICKER PARK — The director of a land conservancy group in Chicago was honored with the Boeing Company's annual "Game Changer" award for her leadership role in The 606/Bloomingdale Trail project.
Beth White, the Trust For Public Land’s Chicago Region Office Director received a $50,000 grant from Boeing during a ceremony last week at the Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 N. Central Park Ave.
Presented by officials from Boeing and Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the award was one of three given to individual leaders "who have created innovative programs and initiatives to benefit Chicago communities," according to a Boeing news release.
White was singled out for leading the planning, design and development of The 606, an innovative "rails-to-trails" project long in the city's pipeline which is transforming an old railroad line into a 2.7-mile elevated trail spanning four neighborhoods on Chicago’s northwest side.
Known as The Bloomingdale Trail, the path will serves as the project's centerpiece.
“I would like to thank The Boeing Company for recognizing The Trust for Public Land’s many years of work with the community in the planning, design and development of The 606,” said White in a news release issued Tuesday by The Trust for Public Land.
Boeing was among three corporations including Exelon and CNA that contributed a combined $7 million to the "first round of private donations" for the project in March 2012, with Boeing chipping in $1 million.
The Game Changer grant will be used on "operating support which will help fund The Trust for Public Land’s budget for work related to their role as the lead private partner on The 606," according to White.
Estimated to cost $91 million in federal, local and private dollars, construction for The 606 project is underway. When complete in fall of 2014, the Bloomingdale Trail will be open to the public, who can access the multi-use walking and bike path through five ground-level parks as well as an observatory, wheel-friendly event plaza, performance spaces and more.
"Giving back to our communities is important to our employees and a core value of Boeing, and we’re proud to partner with Beth and The Trust for Public Land in the amazing work they are doing through The 606," said Rik Geiersbach, a Boeing executive and member of The 606 Leadership Council.
For more information on the project, visit The606.org.
For more information on The Trust for Public Land, which is managing the design, private fundraising efforts, community engagement, and other aspects of The 606 on behalf of the Chicago Park District, visit www.tpl.org
