May 2018

Mixing Passion with Purpose

Two years ago, a 10 year old boy, Riley Bigger, made a request of the Cadillac City Council.  He   asked what it would take for the City to install a wheelchair accessible swing at the playground on the Keith McKellop Walkway.

 

Riley came up with the idea when he was attending a church conference and saw parents lift children from their wheelchairs into swings.  When he returned to Cadillac he was determined to see a type of swing added to the city park that is wheelchair accessible next to the ADA compliant playground.   The City of Cadillac thought it was a good idea too, and so Riley began to fundraise for his project.

As it turned out, the project was much more expensive than initially realized, and significant help was needed. Riley found that help in his local Community Foundation.

 

The Cadillac Area Community Foundation, and the Cadillac & Kellogg for Youth Advisory Committee, thought it was a great project, and looked at how they could help.  A $15,000 grant award, $10,000 from the Foundation Cornerstone Fund and $5000 from the Youth Fund, completed the fundraising for the wheelchair accessible swing near the ADA Playground on the Lakefront.  This dream that Riley had to help others is now becoming a reality.

 

According to the Wexford-Missaukee ISD, we have more than 25 students aged 26 and younger who are wheelchair bound and have never had the opportunity to enjoy most playground activities.
Your Community Foundation looks for opportunities to make our community more vibrant, and improve quality of life for all residents.   This project will bring smiles and impact lives; it was a project of passion with a purpose.

Your gifts to the Community Foundation will impact lives in our area now and when assistance is needed in the future.  We help make a long-term investment in causes that matter most to you.

Please feel free to contact us for more information on how to open a fund about what matters to you.

 

Happy Spring!

Doreen