Kiwanis Club of Clover Park teams with City of Lakewood

Submitted by Mike Darrah, Kiwanis Club of Clover Park.

Children, playground equipment, and parks. What a beautiful combination. The sound of children at play will tell us we have accomplished our goal of providing a safe and fun environment for youth to exercise and to grow into healthy young adults.

Within a half mile radius of the Kiwanis Park are apartment complexes, as well as single family homes, with children who have nowhere to play, no structures to climb on, slide on, hang on, or balance on.

So the Clover Park Kiwanis members decided to endorse a signature project to install new and safe play structures at the park. We took the idea to the City of Lakewood, where we met with Mary Dodsworth, Director of Lakewood Parks, Recreation & Community Services. Our goal was to raise $60,000 for the purchase of the equipment, and the City of Lakewood stepped up and said, if Kiwanis did raise the necessary funds, then the City would be responsible for all site preparation, including the needed wood-chip ground cover. So, now we had two parts of the team needed to complete the project. Without the help from the City, we would still be working to raise more funds.

I seem to remember an old saying that it takes two to tango. Well, in our case, we needed four partners to make this happen. Three parts of the team are in place to turn the Kiwanis Park into a first class neighborhood attraction, The CITY OF LAKEWOOD, NORTHWEST PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT, and the CLOVER PARK KIWANIS. Now we need the most important segment, VOLUNTEERS. Come September 28, we will install the new playground equipment with the help of volunteers like you.

Bart Dalton, our Volunteer Coordinator, is waiting for your call to say, “YES, I want to help.” Call Bart at his Edward Jones office, 253-581-3863, and sign up now, as an individual or a group. We need your help to make this project a reality. Get involved as we make this a community effort, where we all make Lakewood a better place to live.
Remember, IT’S ALL ABOUT THE KIDS!