The Perry Rotary Club hosted a reception Thursday at the McCreary Community Building to celebrate their recent landing of a T-Mobile Hometown Grant that the club will put toward building the first inclusive ADA playground at Wiese Park.
The Perry Rotarians were one of 25 grant winners in the 2023 cycle, joining some 175 rural communities across 41 states who have shared $7.8 million in the grant program, founded by T-Mobile in 2021.
“The Perry Rotary Club wanted to come up with a large community project for the club’s 100th anniversary,” said Perry Rotary Club President Dirk Cavanaugh at the reception that attracted some two dozen attendees. “The group chose an inclusive playground for this project, and we’re excited to be crossing the fundraising finish line.”
T-Mobile Rural Market Manager Brandon Graham of Des Moines was on hand to deliver the $20,000 grant check. Graham said he is proud of the Hometown Grant program, which is “making a positive impact for thousands of people in small towns.”
Cavanaugh said the $175,000 project will provide an area for disabled children to play with their friends of all abilities. It will be the first inclusive play area in Perry, he said, and will reach an underserved population and make Perry more attractive to new families because their disabled children will have a nice place to play at the park.
“It will allow disabled children to play at the park with all of their friends and not have to sit on the sidelines,” Cavanaugh said.
He said the playground equipment has been purchased and is in storage. The Rotarians hope to see the adaptive equipment installed by June 2023 and a rubberized surface installed in July or August.
The projects has also attracted grants and donations from:
- Wiese Foundation, Grant $105,000
- Bock Family Foundation, Grant $5,000
- Perry Iowa Rotary Club, Donation $10,000
- Rotary Foundation, Grant $4,000
- 100+ People for Perry, Donation $4,600
- Osmundson Manufacturing, Donation $12,500
- Aureon, Grant $500
- Perry Hotel/Motel Tax, Grant $1,500
- Chevron Corporation, Match $1,500
- 21st Century Rehab, Donation $1,000
