A year ago, on the weekend of April 19th, more than 400 volunteers from the Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Community came together to help build the JSC Boundless Playground in Township Park. The Junior Service Club of Edwardsville/Glen Carbon is planning a birthday party to celebrate this gift to the community. On May 10, 2014, the JSC will be hosting the Birthday Celebration from 1pm to 4pm at Township Park. The event is open and free to the public and will include face painting, balloon animals, a DJ, snacks, and more. The JSC Boundless Playground is 80% accessible to persons with disabilities and is the first public playground of this kind in the St. Louis area. The playground is located in Township Park (Airplane Park) at 6364 Center GroveRd, Edwardsville, IL. 62025. It was a Signature Project of the JSC and funds were raised for 3 years prior to completion. The JSC is also announcing plans to fund a new playground at Ray M. Schon Park in Glen Carbon. The club voted to fund up to $75,000 for the purchase of playground equipment. This playground will be built as work on Phase II of Ray M. Schon Park gets under way. Julie Smith, JSC President states "We are honored and blessed as a club to be able to provide yet another playground to this community. The support to the Junior Service Club by so many individuals and businesses in this area has made a project like this possible." Rob Jackstadt, Mayor of Glen Carbon, states "The Junior Service Club continues to do wonderful things for our Glen Carbon and Edwardsville communities. On behalf of all Village residents, I want to thank the JSC members for donating the playground equipment that will be enjoyed by so many."
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The community rallied behind the Junior Service Club this weekend as nearly 400 volunteers participated in the Boundless Playground Build on Friday, April 19 and Saturday, April 20. Carolyn Pilla, volunteer coordinator, states the club was overwhelmed by the number of people who wanted to help. In addition to JSC club members and individual volunteers, groups of builders were represented from Glen Carbon Wal-Mart, ADP, Ameren, TMW, Glen Carbon Fire Department, Edwardsville Fire Department, Edwardsville Township, Edwardsville Knights of Columbus, First Cloverleaf Bank, Astellas Pharma US, Kohl’s, SIUE Women’s Basketball, OHL Contract Logistics, Girl Scouts, Kiwanis, Goshen Elementary Teachers, Mathis, Marifian & Richter, and SIUE Contractors Club. Trina Vetter and Tammy Perry, hospitality coordinators, report that donations of food and beverage from local restaurants and businesses was tremendous as well. “We absolutely had the best fed volunteers,” stated Vetter. “A huge thank you to all of our vendors.” Hospitality received breakfast, lunch, snack and/or beverage donations from Sam’s Club, Panera Bread Co, Catered Affair with American Red Cross support, McDonalds, Kraft Foods, The Wooden Nickel, Teaspoons Cafe, Two Fat Guys, Wang Gang, Joe’s Pizza, Sonic, Peel, Ravenelli’s, local Girl Scout and 4-H clubs, Lisa Davis and Jerry and Nancy Staten. Project co-chairs Kelly Schlechte and Christie Lampe report that the weekend could not have gone more smoothly. Despite the windy, wet and cold conditions, the build finished ahead of schedule. Schlechte states, “I’m amazed and humbled by the outpouring of support. Our volunteers worked tirelessly over these last few days and we are truly grateful.” The Boundless Playground which is 80% accessible to persons with disabilities will continue to undergo surfacing and landscaping additions in the next few weeks. The Junior Service Club is planning a Grand Opening Ceremony on Sunday, May 19 at 1pm at Township Park. The public is invited to attend. On Saturday, March 23, members of the Junior Service Club held a ground-breaking ceremony for the JSC Boundless Playground at Edwardsville Township Park. Also in attendance were Township Supervisor Mike Campbell, Edwardsville Mayor Gary Niebur, Glen Carbon Mayor Rob Jackstadt, and Don Roberts of Cunningham Recreation. In the upcoming weeks, Matt Pfund from Pfund Construction will oversee site preparation in anticipation of the upcoming Community Build Weekend on April 19-21. Once the ground is leveled, concrete will be poured which is required to support the poured-in-place solid surfacing. On April 10, the custom-made central tree structure will be delivered and installed. Volunteer training for Build Weekend team leaders will occur during the days leading up to the build weekend. The Community Build Weekend will take place all day Friday, April 19 and Saturday, April 20 with additional work being done on April 21 if needed. Teams of volunteers will be lead by a skilled contractor or construction worker and supervised by Cunningham Recreation staff members. Volunteers are still needed for all shifts. Please visit the JSC website at www.edglenjuniorservice.orgto sign-up. On April 22, the poured-in-place surfacing will be installed and on May 3, landscaping will begin. Planning is underway to celebrate the playground’s grand opening, which will be open to the public. The date of grand opening is still to be determined, but the club is hoping for mid-May. Junior Service Club president and Playground co-chair, Kelly Schlechte states "JSC has been working on this project for over 3 years and we all are very excited to see the construction phase started. In less than 2 months our community will be able to enjoy a fun day out at the park." Schlechte also commends the efforts of her fellow club members in raising $430,000 for the project and thanks the community for their continued support, as well. “This was truly a group effort, and we thank all those involved in making this dream a reality.” says Schlechte. With support of First Cloverleaf Bank, the club is organizing its final fundraiser that will directly benefit the playground. The Boundless Playground 5K will be held on Saturday, May 4, 2013 at Township Park. Please visit the JSC website at www.edglenjuniorservice.orgto sign up or to sponsor the event. The JSC Boundless Playground at Edwardsville Township Park will be the first public playground of this kind in the St. Louis area. Playgrounds that meet Boundless Playgrounds' standards are sensory-rich, rigorous and challenging for everyone, in addition to featuring accommodations for children with physical, developmental, cognitive and sensory disabilities. The playground design will be wheelchair accessible throughout, featuring double wide ramps to the tallest slides and towers, adapted swings and equipment, sensory stimulation activities and easily negotiable terrain. Children with and without disabilities can develop essential skills for life as they learn together through play. |
Junior Service Club of Edwardsville/Glen CarbonJunior Service Club of Edwardsville/Glen Carbon strives to foster volunteerism by developing our member's talents and interests through a variety of fundraising and philanthropic project, while building valued relationships. Archives
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