Friends of the calumet-Sag Trail

The Friends of the Calumet-Sag Trail (FOCST - “focused”) is raising money for a wayfinding and trail head design plan for the entire trail. When it’s finished, the plan will connect trail users to downtown merchants, jobs, Metra trains, schools and other trails. 

Thanks to Senator Richard Durbin, federal grants will give us $4 for every dollar we raise toward the $335,000 cost of the plan. For every $50 you contribute, an additional $250 in trail grants goes toward designing and building the connection points and amenities for the Calumet-Sag Trail.

And you get a head start. FOCST has already raised nearly $70,000, which matches $350,000 in federal trail grants, thanks to support from The Coca-Cola Company, Rails to Trails Conservancy, and FOCST’s hard work: See for yourself our check presentation in May 2010 to Blue Island, and read about the  October 1 Happy Trails Jamboree at calsagtrail.org.

2011 brings us more grant opportunities...and more need by Cal-Sag communities for matching funds. In the summer of 2010, the Calumet-Sag Trail received another $335,000 grant from Senator Durbin to build the designs and features in the finished plan. In October, the Calumet-Sag Trail received $2.8 million from federal grants for the trail’s construction, the first construction dollars to be awarded. Both grants must be matched with 20% of the award by the local communities. Your gift to FOCST makes this happen!

The Friends are a 501c3 non-profit organization; donations are tax deductible. PayPal simply and securely handles our credit card processing.

If you’d like to mail a check: please use this form, and send to Friends of the Calumet-Sag Trail, P.O. Box 532, Blue Island, IL 60406.

Your gift to the Friends goes directly to our efforts to promote, advocate for, and help build the Calumet-Sag Trail. Thank you for joining the movement, and here’s to a trail-full 2011!