Adrian Martinez-De La Cruz

GARY — Indiana University Northwest student Elizabeth Downey grew up near Gleason Park and remembers when the original playground equipment was installed in the early 1990s.

As years passed, the park, located on the corner of 35th Avenue and Jefferson Street, slowly declined, and the playground experienced disrepair. Despite talks of restoring the space, no efforts materialized.

"It's been kind of down and desolate for several years," Downey said.

Last year, an IUN staff member reached out to My Sister's Keeper, a campus organization Downey leads, and the university's Black Student Union to pitch the idea of repairing the park to both groups.

They were then connected with the City of Gary's Love Your Block program . The initiative awarded approximately $10

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