Playground Gets Fundraising Push - Dayton Daily News (07.08.10)
Playground gets fundraising push
By Jill Kelley, Staff Writer
Dayton Daily News
2:47 PM Thursday, July 8, 2010
WASHINGTON TWP., Montgomery County — In June, the Washington Twp. trustees accepted two checks totaling $57,000 for the proposed Butterfly Playground at Countryside Park, next to the Washington Twp. Recreation Center.
The playground is being built in memory of 6-year-old Yukta Garg, who was killed in an auto accident near the rec center in 2006.
In June, Yukta’s parents, Arti and Hemant Garg, donated $21,000 toward the effort.
The funds were raised through concerts held at Centerville Schools Performing Arts Center, featuring internationally known singers and musicians from the Bollywood film industry in Mumbai, India.
According to township Finance Director Mike Barlow, this is the largest direct donation to the township in at least 25 years.
The Gargs said they will continue to raise funds through concerts sponsored by the Yukta Garg Memorial Foundation.
Also in June, the township received a $36,000 Community Development Block Grant from Montgomery County, which will pay for handicapped accessibility at the park.
Since approving a 2002 master plan for the park, the township has planned to establish a handicapped-accessible playground.
Trustees pledged $50,000 in matching seed money, with the remainder to be raised through grants and donations.
Funding now stands at close to $109,000, short of the initial goal of $250,000 to start construction.
“The township is offering a plan, a location, and a financial base to build upon, but how and when the playground takes shape will depend upon grants and donations from the local community,” said Dave Paice, recreation facilities director.