North Loop Parents Reviving A Kids Group
As a father of three who’s lived in the North Loop for 16 years, Dave Delahanty has seen numerous young parents move to the suburbs as soon as their children reach school age.
Karise Gaynor-Morgan, who has two young children including a 2-month-old, wants to stay in the North Loop but recognizes how helpful it would be to have a community of parents here to share resources and fun activities with. “There are so many people who live here who have young children and we don’t have a way to connect,” she said.
So Karise and Dave have come together as volunteers to revive a North Loop Kids group that had gone dormant in recent years. They officially launched their efforts last weekend with an informational table at the annual Candy Grab.
“We’re just trying to do things to help parents want to stay downtown, make it easier to parent downtown,” Dave said. “We’re hoping to get play dates either at people’s condos or in common spaces or just share ideas about schools or get a babysitting group together.”
Karise said they may schedule meet-ups at the North Loop playground in James Rice Park or set up educational activities such as a naturist talking to kids about the riverfront.
If you’d like to join, or get more information about the group, you could fill out this form or write to Karise at karisemorgan@gmail.com.
By Mike Binkley, North Loop volunteer