BRIGHTON PARK — Two elementary schools in Brighton Park had their summer programs and activities funded by South Side native and award-winning actor Mandy Patinkin.
Patinkin, the star of "Homeland" and perhaps best known for playing Inigo Montoya in "The Princess Bride," made a donation to the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council's summer programs, according to the neighborhood group. The amount of the donation was not disclosed.
The Tony and Emmy-winning actor's donation allowed the camp to provide accelerated academic instruction and activities including sports, cooking, art and computer access, the group said in a press release. Patinkin's donation also funded "trauma-informed" clinical and case management services to the kids, the group said.
Over 200 students participated in the summer camps at Brighton Park Elementary, 3825 S. Washtenaw Ave., and Burroughs Elementary, 3542 S. Washtenaw Ave., the group said.
Patinkin grew up in South Shore and was in the first graduating class at Kenwood High School, the actor said in a Michigan Avenue Magazine interview. In the interview, Patinkin talked about the Young Men's Jewish Council Youth Center which helped him in childhood and lead him to a life in the arts.
The donation comes at time when Brighton Park is seeing an increase in violence and a decrease in social and violence-prevention programs, the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council (BPNC) said in a statement.
"BPNC's programs provide the emotional and academic support students in Brighton Park need," a resource coordinator at Brighton Park Elementary said in a statement. "This summer a student at Brighton Park Elementary always shared with me how happy he is that summer camp exists at Brighton Park elementary. It's a safe place where he can forget about his problems at home and enjoy his youth."
Summer campers paint a school wall in a program made available thanks to a donation from actor Mandy Patinkin. [Provided/Brighton Park Neighborhood Council]
