New playground built at Tuscarawas County YMCA
Brielle Kollar, right, looks out from one of the pieces of playground equipment. YMCA day camp participants were the first to use the new playground.
The Dover-New Philadelphia Kiwanis Club recently cut the ribbon on its latest signature project, a playground located at the YMCA in Dover, which cost about $175,000. Overall, the project took 1 ½ years from the start to its completion.
“Children are at the heart of everything Kiwanis is involved with in the community,” said Brenda Cameron, who chaired the planning and fundraising of the project for the Dover-New Philadelphia Kiwanis Club. “This project started with the Dover-New Philadelphia Kiwanis Club celebrating 100 years of service to the community, and we wanted to leave another 100-year footprint by building this playground.
“We noticed that there was a need here — a great need. There was no outdoor playground at the YMCA. We’re absolutely thrilled that we could be part of providing this for the community.”
Megan Shaheen, CEO of the Tuscarawas County YMCA, welcomed a group of Kiwanis Club members, donors and community members to a recent ribbon cutting.
“We’re very grateful to the Kiwanis for thinking of us for a project after the Deis Hill (playground) project that was completed previously,” Shaheen said.
Shaheen read a quote that reminded her of Cameron, the Kiwanis and the entire project.
“‘You’ve not lived today until you’ve done something for someone who can never repay you,’” Shaheen said. “And no one will ever be able to repay you guys for what you’ve done here. The playground will be able to be used for generations to come by multiple children, not only in our licensed childcare programs, but also in the community. Kids who come on the weekends for soccer games, things of that nature, they’ll be able to all use the playground.”
The playground also is open to the public.
“The playground will provide just a spark in the community,” Shaheen said, adding everyone who has seen the project thinks it’s great.
She also said she was pleased the ribbon cutting fell on the Founders Day of the YMCA and offered a way to celebrate community while celebrating the new playground.
Shaheen said she was impressed with the way Cameron handled the project, and when the need to add several items like a fence and pieces of equipment that would serve multiple ages of children came up, it was never a problem.
Donors to the project included the Rainbow Connection, Timken Foundation, Dover-New Philadelphia Kiwanis Club, Dover Exchange Club, Nora Greenwalt Trust, ProVia, Tuscarawas Community Foundation, Dominion Energy, City of Dover, Dover Chemical, Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, Hugh Fraser Fund, Muskingum Watershed Conservancy Foundation, Ohio District Kiwanis, Bob and Trudy Sensel, Gordon and Eilene Stauffer, Tuscarawas County YMCA, Quanex Custom Mixing, Clionian III, Gradall Industries Inc., Keim Lumber, Moomaw Foundation, and Wendy’s.
“Thank you to everyone who donated. We really, really appreciate it,” Cameron said.
Also attending the ribbon cutting was Joe Kurtz, a consultant with Penchura Recreation Products and Services of Canton, which built the playground.
“What makes a good playground is people who really care about what they want to do,” Kurtz said. “I can help guide them, and we can do designs for them. But a lot of thought was put into this, in the space that we had, with Brenda, myself and Megan, the director, just asked going back and forth and really spending time thinking about the kids.”
Cameron called the Penchura company amazing to work with and said it only took about three weeks to complete once the work was started.
“It is so exciting, brings a tear to my eye. It’s been such a long project, and to see the kids running out here and screaming and yelling ‘thank you’ and just enjoying it, that’s what this was all about,” Cameron said.
In an upcoming fundraiser, the Dover-New Philadelphia Kiwanis Club will host its fourth annual Bourbon Tasting event at the Union Country Club on Saturday, Aug. 19 at 6 p.m.
Five Kentucky bourbons for tasting will be paired with small plates. There will be bourbons for auction and raffle. Tickets are available at $100 per person.
For tickets or more information, contact any Kiwanis member, follow their Facebook page or call 330-340-1235. The proceeds will benefit their community projects and high school scholarship program.
Other ways the local group supports children in the community are by helping with the Rainbow Connection, United Way Imagination Library, Noah’s Hope, Tuff Bags, Salvation Army, Dover-New Philadelphia Food Pantry, T-4-C, New Philadelphia Little League, NPHS Delphian Chorale, Kiwanis Key Clubs in New Philadelphia and Dover high schools, National Honor Society pins, Strong Kids YMCA, Sole Purpose’s shoes for kids, Leaders of Tomorrow, 4.0 awards for area high schools, Stuff the Bus, and the homeless shelter.