Community funding has supported new inclusive playground

Funding the inclusive playground has been a goal of Children United for years, with fundraisers ranging from “Dancing With the Stars” annual events to community donations.

Those donations have been key, said organizer Jeannette Klein, pointing to large donations by entities such as the McMahon Foundation, the City of Lawton and AMBUCS, as well as smaller community organizations that have long been part of the project.

Recent donations have helped pay for the final component of the playground, the rubberized surface that will protect youth at play while also providing a surface level enough to support canes, walkers and wheelchairs.

In December, the City Council agreed to put $250,000 into Children’s United account, matching funds to $200,000 put in by McMahon Foundation. Both entities already had made contributions to the project early in the fund-raising effort, Klein said, of $75,000 put in by the City of Lawton in June 2023. McMahon Foundation also has contributed twice, putting in $125,000 earlier in the process. Klein said that together, the two entities have contributed $650,000.

Community donations have remained a vital component of the fundraising process, and Children United is conducting one more, to fund a project that will help the inclusive playground match its Playground in the Park counterpart. Klein said the group is selling engraved pickets for $100 each, with a goal of selling a total of 500 engraved pickets (150 have been sold already).

“In the fence that exists around the current playground, the pickets are all engraved,” she said. “We want to follow that theme, so people can put a family name, in memory of somebody, whatever they want to do.”

Information is available by contacting Klein at 581-6249 or via email: liljeannie1951@gmail.