Friends of the Chicago River celebrated a big milestone on September 16, 2017: elected officials from every level of government joined our Executive Director, Margaret Frisbie, and Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Commissioner Josina Morita in jumping in the river and splashing around! The event, the Big Jump, was organized by Friends and Commissioner Morita, to highlight our collective success in improving the river’s water quality and to demonstrate our commitment to making the Chicago River swimmable for all. With the warm fall Chicago has been experiencing, the jumpers lingered in the waters at Ping Tom Park in Chicago’s Chinatown neighborhood.
Jumpers included: U.S. Representatives Mike Quigley and Jan Schakowsky, Illinois State Treasurer Mike Frerichs, Illinois State Representatives Sonya Harper and Theresa Mah, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, MWRD Commissioners Josina Morita and Debra Shore, Alderman Danny Solis, Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia, Skokie Park District Commissioner Khemarey Khoeun, Friends Executive Director Margaret Frisbie, U.S. EPA Region 5 Acting Regional Administrator Robert Kaplan, U.S. Corps of Engineers’ Fisheries Biologist Matthew Shanks, and MWRD Executive Director David St. Pierre.
