A festive atmosphere surrounded the grand opening celebration Tuesday of the new Mothers of Miracles (MOMs) playground at Iola’s Riverside Park.
Several MOMs organizers behind the $187,000 project were on hand for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, along with Iola Kiwanians and other business leaders and volunteers.
The playground area is designed for youngsters with disabilities, although scores of children of all ages already have entertained themselves on the equipment.
The playground was borne out of several collaborations, said Mike Ford, a member of the Iola Kiwanis.
It was Kiwanis who originally reached out to the MOMs organizers, and both worked together to secure a $25,000 grant from Kiwanis International.
From there, the City of Iola donated another $25,000, as did the Kansas Health Care Foundation.
“But other than those three big donations, everything else came from private donations,” Ford noted.
In addition, MOMs member Lesley Skahan noted the businesses, churches, families and friends who donated to the cause, some a penny at a time.
“A lot of people had a hand in it,” Skahan said. “They did it to make our dream come true.”
Berkley Kerr, Iola parks superintendent, noted how vital the collaborative spirit was to the project.
“They found out pretty quickly how much playground equipment was, and they knew that original $25,000 wasn’t going to go very far,” Kerr said. “For them to get the entire community’s support was impressive.”
The equipment features slides, swings, climbing areas, merry-go-rounds and other amenites, all of which are designed for children to use, even those with disabilities.
MOMS, Kiwanis celebrate opening of new playground
