| Membership level: Hall of Fame Sandy Gbur Inductee Year 2024 |  |
| Sandy (Murray) Gbur is a 1973 graduate of Hinsdale Central High School. During her high school years, she was Secretary of her Junior class, a Senior Leader for Physical Education and a volunteer at “The Farm Club” (now known as the Hanson Center), where she taught a young boy with a developmental disability how to bowl. It was this experience that led her to her 43-year career in Illinois Special Recreation. She attended the College of DuPage, received her Bachelor’s Degree from Illinois State University and completed her Master’s Degree in Management/Human Resources at National Louis University. Early in her career, she worked diligently with Illinois Park Districts and Villages in the south and west suburbs of Chicago to introduce and educate elected officials of the need for quality recreation programs for individuals with disabilities and their ability to access a tax levy to fund these programs. As more Special Recreation Cooperatives were formed Sandy turned her attention to program development and meeting the needs of the ever-growing special needs population. As the Executive Director of 3 Special Recreation Associations, she advocated for the funding for many unique programs including a play-based program called Lekotek, that teaches parents how to develop their young children through play, a Therapeutic Day program for high school graduates and an Adaptive Athletics program that provides competitive wheelchair basketball and boccia for athletes with physical disabilities, including veterans. Sandy’s passion for ensuring equal access for individuals with disabilities resulted in many awards including, the Philanthropic Leader of the Year, two President’s Awards and the Outstanding Professional of the Year from the Illinois Park and Recreation Association. Most notable was Sandy’s legislative efforts when Sandy and her colleagues saw that a cap on property taxes and the passage of the Americans with Disability Act in 1992; were going to impact funding for Special Recreation. Park Districts and Villages were challenged to appropriately fund Special Recreation programming while managing the expense of mandated inclusive programs and facility accessibility. One could say it was the “perfect storm.” Sandy and her colleagues worked hard to make sure state legislators understood the importance of Special Recreation services. Sandy secured the sponsors for Senate Bill 1881 which sought to remove the Special Recreation levy from the tax cap. After significant work and many trips to Springfield, Senate Bill 1881 passed! This was a monumental success for Special Recreation professionals and more importantly, for the almost 2,000,000 Illinois residents with disabilities. As a result, Sandy’s legacy will live on through continued funding for Special Recreation in Illinois for years to come. |
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