Lincolnway Special Recreation Association

What Lincolnway Special Recreation Association does

Lincolnway Special Recreation Association (LWSRA) is a non-profit special recreation association established in 1976 that delivers recreation and leisure services to individuals with physical or intellectual disabilities across the Lincoln-Way area of Will County, Illinois. The organization operates as a cooperative of eight member park districts — Crete, Frankfort, Frankfort Square, Manhattan, Mokena, New Lenox, Peotone, and Wilmington — providing a portfolio of age-segmented adapted programs including Hawklings (ages 2-6), Youth (7-13), Club Hawk (after-school care), Teen & Adult (14+), TITANS Recreation Club (18+), summer camp, individual lessons, and inclusion services. The Lincolnway Special Recreation Center in New Lenox anchors service delivery and features specialized amenities including The Nest Sensory Room and adjacent Leigh Creek South Park.

The service portfolio extends beyond center-based programming through the Sensory Mobile unit, educational outreach to schools (P.E. Takeovers, assemblies, fundraiser games), tiered field trip offerings, facility rentals, and sensory-friendly community events such as the annual Day with the Grinch. Commercial unit pricing is transparent: $3-$20 per student for field trips by age band, $350 per assembly and $500 per P.E. day for schools, and a $1,000 minimum for fundraiser games (single-school high of $10,000 reported in 2021). The technology footprint is minimal — registration runs on CommunityPass (CapturePoint) and there is no disclosed API, proprietary platform, or AI/ML capability.

LWSRA's revenue model is a hybrid of public member-district contributions, program registration fees, facility rental income, event ticket sales, and philanthropic donations channeled through the Lincolnway Special Recreation Foundation. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors under Illinois public-meeting and FOIA requirements, and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2026 with new ticketed events (Sneakerball, Bunny Breakfast, Golf Outing). Headcount is reported at 51-100 employees, and financial information is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Lincolnway Special Recreation Association

Legal name

Lincolnway Special Recreation Association

Website

https://lwsra.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Lincolnway Special Recreation Association is a 1976-founded nonprofit cooperative of eight Illinois park districts providing adapted recreation, sensory services, school outreach, and inclusive events to individuals with physical or intellectual disabilities in the Lincoln-Way area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Adapted Recreation Services

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Multi-Sport Camps (General Athletics, Summer Camps) (MPAKAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services (BPAIACAI), Group Camping & Scout Camps (THAGAOAI)

Keywords

• Adaptive recreation services
• Adapted sports programs
• Sensory-friendly programs
• Special needs recreation
• Disability inclusion services

Headquarters

HQ city

New Lenox

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Lincolnway Special Recreation Association provides adapted recreation, leisure, and inclusion programs for individuals with physical or intellectual disabilities across the Lincoln-Way area of Illinois. Core offerings include age-tiered recreation programs (Hawklings ages 2-6, Youth ages 7-13, Teen & Adult ages 14+, TITANS ages 18+), summer camp, after-school care (Club Hawk), individual lessons, inclusion services, sensory-friendly facility access, school-based ability awareness programs, and a Special Olympics Center of Excellence.

Product overview

Lincolnway Special Recreation Association (LWSRA) is a special recreation association providing recreation and leisure services for individuals with physical or intellectual disabilities. The organization operates as a service provider rather than a technology product company. LWSRA's portfolio includes age-specific adapted recreation programs (Hawklings for ages 2-6, Youth for ages 7-13, Teen & Adult for ages 14+, and TITANS for ages 18+), adapted sports programs, inclusion services, summer camp, after-school care (Club Hawk), individual lessons, and facility rentals at the Lincolnway Special Recreation Center. Additional services include sensory accessibility offerings (The Nest Sensory Room, Sensory Mobile unit), educational outreach programs (In-The-Schools assemblies and P.E. Takeovers, Field Trips to LWSRA), and community events (Ability Fair, Day with the Grinch, Golf Outing, Sneakerball). The organization serves eight member park districts and functions as a nonprofit recreation provider, not a software or technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lincolnway Special Recreation Foundation: The foundation arm of LWSRA that supports fundraising and donor contributions for the organization's programs and services.
• LWSRA Hawks
• Club Hawk
• Hawklings
• TITANS Recreation Club
• Center of Excellence (Special Olympics)

Products and services

• Adapted Recreation Programs Age-tiered recreation programs adapted for individuals with physical or intellectual disabilities, including sports, social, and sensory activities. Programs span Hawklings (ages 2-6), Youth (ages 7-13), Teen & Adult (ages 14+), and TITANS Recreation Club (ages 18+).
• Inclusion Services Support services that enable individuals with disabilities to participate in mainstream community recreation programs offered by member park districts.
• Club Hawk After-School Care After-school care program for children with disabilities, providing supervised recreation and enrichment following the school day.
• Summer Camp Day camp programs during summer break for individuals with disabilities, featuring adapted activities and outings.
• Individual Lessons One-on-one recreation lessons tailored to the needs and goals of individuals with disabilities.
• Lincolnway Special Recreation Center Facility Rentals Rental of the recreation center facility available seven days a week for parties, meetings, sports programs, and community gatherings, including amenities such as The Nest Sensory Room.
• Sensory Mobile Mobile sensory resources brought to community events and locations to provide sensory-friendly accommodations on-site for individuals with sensory processing needs.
• Field Trips to LWSRA School field trip packages for elementary ($3/student), junior high ($5/student), and high school ($20 flat rate) groups, including gym, classroom, sensory room, and snack activities for special services students.
• In-The-Schools Programs School-based ability awareness offerings including $350 assemblies for students and faculty, $500/day P.E. Takeovers with adaptive sports stations, and fundraiser games (minimum $1,000) featuring LWSRA-vs-school wheelchair basketball matchups.
• Center of Excellence (Special Olympics) Special Olympics training and competitive athletic programming for individuals with intellectual disabilities, delivered under the Center of Excellence designation.
• Sensory-Friendly Community Events Sensory-friendly public events including the Day with the Grinch (capped at 225 attendees per timeslot), Sneakerball, Ability Fair, Bunny Breakfast, Foundation Golf Outing, Trunk or Treat, and the I Can Du It! Adaptive Duathlon.

Quantifiable outcome

• Generated $10,000 donation at a single fundraiser game event in 2021
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Crete Park DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember park district of the Lincolnway Special Recreation Association cooperative, providing governance and financial support for adapted recreation services.
• Frankfort Park DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember park district of the Lincolnway Special Recreation Association cooperative, providing governance and financial support for adapted recreation services.
• Frankfort Square Park DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember park district of the Lincolnway Special Recreation Association cooperative, providing governance and financial support for adapted recreation services.
• Manhattan Park DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember park district of the Lincolnway Special Recreation Association cooperative, providing governance and financial support for adapted recreation services.
• Mokena Community Park DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember park district of the Lincolnway Special Recreation Association cooperative, providing governance and financial support for adapted recreation services.
• New Lenox Community Park DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember park district of the Lincolnway Special Recreation Association cooperative, providing governance and financial support for adapted recreation services.
• Peotone Park DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember park district of the Lincolnway Special Recreation Association cooperative, providing governance and financial support for adapted recreation services.
• Wilmington Park DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember park district of the Lincolnway Special Recreation Association cooperative, providing governance and financial support for adapted recreation services.
• KiwanisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal service organization supporting LWSRA through community involvement and service.
• Knights of ColumbusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal service organization supporting LWSRA through community involvement and service.
• Rotary ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal service organization supporting LWSRA through community involvement and service.
• Lincoln-Way Area Business Women's Organization (LWABWO)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal business women's organization supporting LWSRA through community involvement and service.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Special Olympics: Global organization providing year-round sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities; LWSRA operates as a Center of Excellence affiliate — the umbrella body for LWSRA's competitive sports layer.
• Easterseals: National nonprofit providing disability and autism services including recreation, camping, and community-based programs — operates at much larger scale across a broader service mix than LWSRA but competes for similar participant and donor pools.
• Life Time Fitness (Adaptive / 360 programs): National premium fitness operator with adaptive and inclusive programming across many U.S. locations — a large incumbent entering the adapted recreation space with stronger digital infrastructure than LWSRA.

Direct peers

• Western DuPage Special Recreation Association (WDSRA): SRA serving western DuPage County park districts with adapted recreation programs and community-based inclusion services — operates the same SRA cooperative model with comparable program breadth.
• SEASPAR (South East Association for Special Parks And Recreation): SRA serving southeast DuPage and southwest Cook County with adapted recreation programs, inclusion services, and community events — directly comparable cooperative SRA structure and program portfolio.
• Northern Suburban Special Recreation Association (NSSRA): SRA serving north suburban Chicago park districts with adapted recreation, summer camps, and inclusion services — same cooperative model, overlapping age-segmented programming, and Special Olympics affiliation.
• Fox Valley Special Recreation Association (FVSRA): Illinois SRA serving Fox Valley communities with year-round adapted recreation, sensory programming, and school-based inclusion services — mirrors LWSRA's member-district cooperative structure.
• Move United: National nonprofit network providing adaptive sports opportunities (wheelchair basketball, adaptive skiing, etc.) across community-based chapters — directly comparable adapted sports mission to LWSRA's competitive programming.
• Northwest Special Recreation Association (NWSRA): Illinois-based special recreation association serving 17 member park districts in Chicago's northwest suburbs with adapted recreation, inclusion services, and Special Olympics programming — operates an identical cooperative SRA model to LWSRA.

Emerging players

• National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD): National resource center promoting health, physical activity, and disability inclusion — overlapping adapted recreation/inclusion mission with LWSRA's community-facing programming and awareness-building work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/LWSRA
• Xx.com/lwsra

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lincolnway Special Recreation Association