HANNA CITY Ill. (WMBD) — The Forest Park Foundation has come to an end, and its final beneficiary will be Wildlife Prairie Park.
Earlier this year, the foundation’s treasurer filed the paperwork to dissolve the non-profit. The organization was created right here in Peoria in 1939 by Dr. Leslie Rutherford.
Wildlife Prairie Park, which was co-founded by Rutherford’s son, Bill, and his wife Hazel, will receive the remainder of its assets.
CEO of Wildlife Prairie Park Roberta English said they rely on donations and they’re planning on using those assets to invest in the park.
“Wildlife Prairie Park is so grateful to the Forest Park Foundation and the remaining members of that,” said English. “We’re so excited and we really feel like we’ve been doing things to make Bill and Hazel Rutherford happy and I think they’d be really excited about all the progress the park has made in the last few years and, we want to continue to do that and we need the community support to do that.”
She said the park received $2,000,000 and additional property from the foundation.
