by Ingrid Nova | Mar 6, 2012 | Playground in the Park
The Community Relations Coalition has written a nice piece about their choice to support us in the upcoming Taste of East Lansing event. You can read more about it here.
“The Taste of East Lansing is very excited to be working with the Rotary Club of East Lansing. As our charity partner, the Rotary will be receiving 25% of ticket sale proceeds and 50% of all raffle and silent auction proceeds from the Taste of East Lansing event. These funds will go toward the Playground in the Park Re-Imagined project, which is a fundraising drive to raise money to rebuild the playground in East Lansing’s Patriarche Park.”
by Ingrid Nova | Feb 2, 2012 | Events, Foundation and Fund Raising, Playground in the Park
MSU Women’s Basketball coach Suzy Merchant announced her role as Honorary Chairperson of our Playground in the Park: Re-Imagined project yesterday. You can read all of press, and our original press release by clicking the links (they appear below the pictures from the event).
(East Lansing Rotary President Tim McCaffrey, MSU Women’s Basketball Coach Suzy Merchant, and EL Rotary President Elect Nathan Triplett)
(EL Rotary Members and Suzy Merchant, L to R: Gary Danbrook, Katie Donovan, Susan Schmidt, Past President John Saltzgaber, Suzy Merchant, Past President Kevin Gray, Past President Jackson Kaguri, and James Folkening)
Read about the project below!
by Ingrid Nova | Feb 2, 2012 | Events, Foundation and Fund Raising, Playground in the Park
East Lansing, MI – The East Lansing Rotary Club and City of East Lansing are pleased to announce that MSU Women’s basketball Coach Suzy Merchant will be leading the effort to replace the wooden playground structure at East Lansing’s Patriarche Park. “We’re so happy to have Coach Merchant Chair the Playground Committee,” said East Lansing Rotary President Tim McCaffrey. “My children have really enjoyed playing at Patriarche Park, so I’m really excited about being a part of this effort to build a new playground at the park for children and their families to enjoy,” said Coach Suzy Merchant.
(rendering of park play structure concept)
In 1995, the Rotary Club of East Lansing spearheaded the construction of the wooden playground structure at the park. Over the past sixteen years, the playground has been enjoyed by literally thousands of school-aged children and their families. However, heavy use of the facility, along with Michigan’s weather has taken its toll on the structure. The playground renovation originally slated for the fall of 2011 was interrupted when planners became aware that CCA pressure-treated wood was used to build the original playground structure in 1995. While it’s believed the playground is safe and that CCA levels are not harmful, the Rotary Club and City of East Lansing decided that it is more practical to raze the current structure and build a new playground.
“Replacing the existing structure with a completely new one, utilizing the latest in materials and technology, gives us a unique opportunity to create a playground that is more accessible, especially for children with physical disabilities; incorporates the latest safety standards; and provides features promoting physical fitness,” stated Rotary Club President Tim McCaffrey. The planned rebuild of the playground structure will use materials expected to last 25-30 years, or more.
A series of community meetings have been scheduled at the Hannah Community Center on Abbot Rd. in East Lansing. Information about the preliminary concepts for the playground will be shared and public input will be sought about what the future playground structure might look like. Following are the meeting dates and times:
Thursday, February 23rd 7:00 pm
Tuesday, March 6th 7:00 pm
Saturday, March 10th 10:00 am
The Rotary Club of East Lansing was chartered in 1961 and celebrated its 50thyear of service last September. In addition to the playground project, the Club has helped spearhead a number of projects in the community, including: building the East Lansing “splash pad,” renovating the facilities and replacing the boiler at Haven House; and supporting a number of programs provided by non-profit agencies.
(click image for a larger view)
by Ingrid Nova | Oct 29, 2011 | Playground in the Park
Our president Tim McCaffrey was featured in an article from WLNS this week. He commented on an article regarding the East Lansing Patriarche Park, and the East Lansing Rotary Club’s efforts there.
Poisoned Parks: Wooden Play Places May Be Hurting Children
Could the wooden play structure in your neighborhood park be toxic? Many parks use a chemical preservative to protect the wood from insects and rotting. It’s called Chromated Copper Arsenate, or CCA, which contains arsenic.
Some local communities are taking steps to protect children from the very place they play.
CCA is a preservative found in most treated wood made from 1970 to 2003.
“Your child plays on it, puts their hands on it. Can arsenic come off on your hand and be a source of exposure? Well, surprisingly it can,” said toxicologist Michael Allen with the Ingham County Health Department.
At East Lansing’s Patriarche Park, a big wood playscape offers fun for the entire family. There’s wood everywhere and children touch it. There’s even places for families to sit down and eat on the treated wood.
by Ingrid Nova | Jun 20, 2011 | Events, Playground in the Park
The Rotary Club of East Lansing is pleased to announce the winners in this year’s Art Contest, which was held in conjunction with the Club’s 50th anniversary celebration and planned renovation of the playground structure at East Lansing’s Patriarche Park. The winners, chosen by public voting at the Club’s annual Pancakes-in-the-Park breakfast fundraiser, held on Sunday, June 12, 2011 at Patriarche Park include:- $300 Grand Prize winner: Jing Sojourn (McDonald Middle School – 7th Grade)
– $200 First Prize winner: Clay Conover (McDonald Middle School – 7th Grade)
– $100 Second Prize winner: Jillian Rowan (Stepping Stones Montessori – 2nd Grade)
Pictured left to right are: Marla Conover (Clay’s Mom), Clay Conover – First Prize Winner (7th Grader, McDonald Middle School), Jing Sojourn – Grand Prize Winner (7th Grader, McDonald Middle School), Rianne Anderson (Jing’s Mom), Rotary Art Contest Committee Members Susan Schmidt and Katie Donovan, and Rotary Club President Jackson KaguriThree other students received Honorable Mentions. They were: William Rowan (Stepping Stones Montessori – 5th Grade), Isabelle Rycus (Chippewa Middle School – 7th Grade) and Jack Sparrow (Glencairn Elementary School – 5th Grade). This year’s art contest was sponsored by the East Lansing Rotary Foundation, East Lansing Lodge 480 of Freemasons, Summit Community Bank and the City of East Lansing.
The East Lansing Rotary Club is celebrating its 50th anniversary of service to the community during 2011. Club members have planned a number of events to commemorate the Club’s golden anniversary, including:
– June 5 – Soccer Match at the East Lansing Soccer Field
– June 12 – Pancakes-in-the-Park breakfast @ Patriarche Park
– June 20 – Blood Drive @ the MSU University Club
– July 14 – Joe Gross Memorial Golf Outing @ Eagle Eye Golf Course in Bath
– September 15 – 18 – Playground Renovation @ Patriarche Park
