Optimist Club Donates $2,500 To Universally - Inclusive Playground Project In Richfield

Press release from the City of Richfield:

August 4, 2020

Whether it is during the COVID-19 global health pandemic or when someone some gets their car stuck in the snow, Richfield residents look out for each other to make the city a better place to live, learn, work and play. Most recently, this was demonstrated through the Optimist Club donation of $2,500 to the Recreation Services Department’s universally-inclusive playground project.

“As an organization, we are always looking for ways to support the community we live and work in, especially when it comes to projects and initiatives that help Richfield’s youth,” said Optimist Club President David Kriesel-Koll. “We saw this donation as an opportunity for us to make a legacy gift to the community.”

Richfield’s playground features are all Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant, but for many of the city’s youth, the ADA does not go far enough to meet their needs when it comes to accessibility. Currently, ADA standards focus on accessibility for those with mobility impairments. However, youth with other impairments, such as autism, vision and auditory needs are largely unaddressed.

Richfield believes that all youth should be able to enjoy the city’s playground features. That is why the Recreation Services Department is bringing a universally-inclusive playground feature to Augsburg Park.

The department plans to break ground on the project in September 2020.

“A universally-inclusive playground is not just for kids with disabilities, it is developmentally appropriate for all ability levels,” explained Recreation Services Director Amy Markle. “These playgrounds also encourage more parent-child interaction and include more sensory-rich equipment.”

Playground features do not come cheap. Most medium-sized universally-inclusive playground features cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. The feature planned for Augsburg Park will cost approximately $720,000 when completed.

Besides the generous donation from the Optimist Club, other organizations such as Hennepin County, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Metro Sales Inc., Center Point Energy and the Rotary Club have also contributed monetarily to the project.

Richfield Liquor store patrons also contributed to the universally-inclusive playground project through the store’s round-up program. In all, patrons rounded up to the tune of $19,389 to support the imitative.

No matter how big or small a donation, every little bit helps in terms of bringing a universally-inclusive playground to Richfield.

“We are grateful for the generous support of the Richfield Optimist Club,” stated Markle. “Every donation, including the Optimist Club’s, goes toward making this project happen; without the support of so many organizations the dream of building this playground would not be a reality.”

The Optimist Club’s donation is also aligned with the organization’s motto.

“The motto of the Optimist Club is ‘Bringing out the Best in Kids’, so for us, this project was a great way for us to support the youth in the community, and also to promote the Optimist Club and its goals,” remarked Kriesel-Koll.

To learn more about the plans for the universally-inclusive playground or to donate to the project, contact Recreation Services Director Amy Markle by calling 612-861-9394 or emailing AMarkle@richfieldmn.gov.

This press release was produced by the City of Richfield. The views expressed here are the author’s own.