Western DuPage Special Recreation Association

What Western DuPage Special Recreation Association does

Western DuPage Special Recreation Association (WDSRA) is a private nonprofit special recreation association founded in 1976 and headquartered at 116 N. Schmale Road, Carol Stream, Illinois. It operates as a cooperative extension of nine partner park districts across Western DuPage County — Bloomingdale, Carol Stream, Glen Ellyn, Naperville, Roselle, Warrenville, West Chicago, Wheaton, and Winfield — delivering inclusive social and recreational programs for individuals of all ages with special needs, from age 3 through senior years.

WDSRA’s core product portfolio includes adaptive sports, Athletics and Special Olympics programs, year-round camps (including Summer Day Camp), Cultural Arts programs, the Rec & Roll Day Program for adults, Social Programs and Clubs, Trips and Special Events, and Park District Inclusion Services that help participants join standard park district offerings. Programs are distributed through partner park district facilities and enrolled via the WebTrac online registration portal (Vermont Systems), with SSL-encrypted payments processed through PlugNPay and outreach via Constant Contact and QuestionPro surveys. The organization holds National Parks and Recreation Association Gold Medal and Illinois Distinguished Agency recognition, plus GFOA financial reporting certification.

The business model is funded through a combination of per-resident contributions from the nine member park districts, individual program registration fees (seasonal subscription cadence with event-based unit pricing ranging from free events to $115 tickets), and donations processed through the WDSRA Foundation and WebLink-hosted giving pages. Marketing is community-led, relying on organic social (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube), email newsletters, and direct community events. Customer segments are two-tiered: end-user families of individuals with special needs (primary) and partner park districts seeking inclusion-service capacity (secondary). Headcount is 51-100; revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Western DuPage Special Recreation Association

Legal name

Western DuPage Special Recreation Association

Website

https://wdsra.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

WDSRA is a nonprofit cooperative of nine Western DuPage County park districts delivering inclusive social, athletic, and cultural programs for individuals of all ages with special needs across nine Illinois communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Special Needs Recreation Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Special Needs Adult Day Programs (Developmental/Physical Disabilities, Seniors) (HLADAIAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Social Adult Day Care (Non-Medical Supervision & Activities) (HSABANAA)

Keywords

• Adaptive recreation programs
• Special needs programs
• Inclusive community recreation
• Therapeutic recreation services
• Special olympics training

Headquarters

HQ city

Carol Stream

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Program Registration Fees: WDSRA generates revenue through fees for recreational programs including day camps, sports programs, social clubs, trips, and special events. Registration is handled through an online portal.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

WDSRA delivers community-based social and recreational programs for individuals of all ages with special needs across nine Western DuPage County communities. Offerings span adaptive sports, Special Olympics athletics, seasonal and summer day camps, cultural arts, social clubs, trips, the Rec & Roll adult day program, and park district inclusion services, all accessed via seasonal registration through the WebTrac portal.

Product overview

WDSRA is a special recreation association offering a comprehensive portfolio of community-based social and recreational programs for individuals of all ages with special needs. The organization provides hundreds of programs year-round across nine communities, including adaptive sports, Special Olympics athletics, day camps, cultural arts, a dedicated Rec & Roll day program, social clubs, trips, and special events. The core offering consists of WDSRA's own program portfolio, supplemented by inclusion services that support participation in standard park district offerings. Programs serve individuals from age 3 through senior years, with seasonal brochures (Winter/Spring, Summer, Fall) and day camp guides published annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WDSRA: Western DuPage Special Recreation Association - providing community-based social and recreational programs for individuals of all ages with special needs

Products and services

• Adaptive Sports Programs Specialized athletic and recreational programs designed for individuals with special needs, providing accessible sporting opportunities across Western DuPage County.
• Athletics & Special Olympics Programs Competitive athletic programs and Special Olympics sports training and competitions delivered in partnership with Special Olympics Illinois for athletes with intellectual disabilities.
• Camps Year-round camp programs including summer day camps providing recreational activities for children and adults with special needs.
• Summer Day Camp Full-day summer camp program offering recreational activities, social opportunities, and supervised experiences for participants ages 3 and up with special needs.
• Cultural Arts Programs Arts, music, dance, and theater programs providing creative expression opportunities for individuals with special needs.
• Rec & Roll Day Program Daytime recreational program offering social activities and community engagement for adults with special needs.
• Social Programs & Clubs Social clubs and programs facilitating peer connections, friendship-building, and community involvement for participants with special needs.
• Trips & Special Events Outings, day trips, and special community events providing recreational experiences outside the regular program setting for individuals with special needs.
• Park District Inclusion Services Support services helping individuals with special needs participate in standard park district programs alongside peers without disabilities across the nine partner communities.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Bloomingdale Park DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of nine park district partners that form the cooperative WDSRA operates as, providing facilities and joint programming for residents with special needs
• Carol Stream Park DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of nine park district partners that form the cooperative WDSRA operates as, providing facilities and joint programming for residents with special needs
• Glen Ellyn Park DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of nine park district partners that form the cooperative WDSRA operates as, providing facilities and joint programming for residents with special needs
• Naperville Park DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of nine park district partners that form the cooperative WDSRA operates as, providing facilities and joint programming for residents with special needs
• Roselle Park DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of nine park district partners that form the cooperative WDSRA operates as, providing facilities and joint programming for residents with special needs
• Warrenville Park DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of nine park district partners that form the cooperative WDSRA operates as, providing facilities and joint programming for residents with special needs
• West Chicago Park DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of nine park district partners that form the cooperative WDSRA operates as, providing facilities and joint programming for residents with special needs
• Wheaton Park DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of nine park district partners that form the cooperative WDSRA operates as, providing facilities and joint programming for residents with special needs
• Winfield Park DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of nine park district partners that form the cooperative WDSRA operates as, providing facilities and joint programming for residents with special needs
• Special Olympics IllinoiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial Special Olympics program partner providing competitive athletic opportunities for athletes with intellectual disabilities
• WebTrac (Vermont Systems)coreTechnology or IntegrationProvides online registration platform for program enrollment with SSL encryption for secure transactions

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• School Association for Special Education in DuPage (SASED): SASED is a DuPage County cooperative providing special education services and transition programming. Overlaps with WDSRA on serving the same disability population in the same county, though its core focus is school-age education rather than recreation.

Direct peers

• Fox Valley Special Recreation Association (FVSRA): FVSRA delivers inclusive recreation for individuals with special needs in the Fox Valley region of Illinois. Directly comparable operating model (park district cooperative) and program mix (camps, Special Olympics, social programs).
• Northwestern Illinois Special Recreation Association (NISRA): NISRA is a special recreation association serving communities in northern Illinois with adaptive sports, social programs, and inclusion services for individuals with disabilities. Operates on the same multi-municipality cooperative framework as WDSRA.
• South East Association for Special Parks And Recreation (SEASPAR): SEASPAR provides adaptive recreation programs for individuals with disabilities in southeast DuPage and southwest Cook counties. Closely mirrors WDSRA's service portfolio (athletics, day programs, social clubs, inclusion services) and cooperative governance model.
• Northeast DuPage Special Recreation Association (NEDSRA): NEDSRA is an Illinois special recreation association serving neighboring DuPage County communities with programs for individuals with disabilities. Operates the same cooperative-park-district model as WDSRA, making it the closest structural and geographic peer.

Broad incumbents

• Clearbrook: Clearbrook is a large Illinois nonprofit serving children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities through residential, vocational, and therapeutic programs. A broader incumbent in the same disability-services space with overlapping demographic but different service mix.
• Easterseals: Easterseals is a national disability services network providing recreation, therapy, and inclusion programming for individuals with disabilities and special needs. Comparable mission breadth at national scale; WDSRA operates as a local affiliate-style provider of similar services.
• Special Olympics Illinois: Special Olympics Illinois is a statewide affiliate of Special Olympics providing year-round sports training and competition for individuals with intellectual disabilities. WDSRA operates as an official program partner; this is the parent competitive framework WDSRA athletes feed into.
• National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA): NRPA is the national professional body that awarded WDSRA its Gold Medal. Sets industry standards, accreditation, and best practices that govern cooperative special recreation associations like WDSRA across the U.S.

Emerging players

• The Arc of Illinois: The Arc of Illinois advocates for and provides services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. While primarily advocacy-focused, its community-based programs intersect with WDSRA's special-needs recreation mission in Illinois.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WeAreWDSRA
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/wdsra09
• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/Western-DuPage-Special-Recreation-Association-WDSRA/304164637717
• Instagraminstagram.com/wdsra

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Western DuPage Special Recreation Association