One Month Ago

One month has passed since we came together to raise the spirit of the neighborhood and build our wonderful park. It is interesting to note that the park has had excellent attendance since the build. Not a day has gone by without it being enjoyed by children and their parents. The land has remained clean, the grass is growing, the trees have passed their blossoms, and the equipment looks wonderful.

Pictures from the Day

A HUGE thank you goes out to Marcel Keays - the man behind the lens - who captured the spirit of our day so well. We are posting just a few of the many that he took here on the website, but please feel free to head over to Marcel's website to check out the other 460! You can find them at http://www.marcelkeays.blogspot.com.

Thanks again to all of you who came out and gave us a big hand - you look great!

Enjoy.

Thank you for your great work

On behalf of the Let Them Be Kids organization, and the local Innisfail playground committee, I would like thank you for helping with the outstanding effort this past Saturday! Although I could not be there myself, I did watch the live broadcast and it looked like everything went awesome(here is the link for you to watch some of the interviews from that day http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ltbk---innisfail . We are an all volunteer organization with no paid staff, so we know how hard it is to pull something like this off. Your local committee did an outstanding job and should be commended for the hours, days, weeks and months they spent on this project. They took time from their own families to make the community better. All of you should be very proud of what you have done as well, because you gave time, talent and many of you gave your treasure to make the community better for kids and families. I would suggest that your collective efforts sent out a ripple of hope, that will affect your community for years to come, I encourage you to remember the spirit and sense the of community you felt last Saturday and draw upon that as you all work together to build a thriving community for the kids and families of today and for the generation to come. I have attached the team picture for you to keep as both a thank you and also a reminder of what can happen when communities come together… Again thank you and stay well, cheers-Ian

It's Built!!

Well, June 5th finally arrived and what a day it was!! A HUGE thank you to all of our volunteers. We can't believe just how incredibly everything went. All of you who came out were exceptional volunteers and we cannot thank you for everything you did on that day.

A huge thanks to all of our donors and to all of those who spread the word about what this project means.

Thanks to everyone who did an interview for our live broadcast, too!

It was beautiful to see all the kids run on to the playground and jump on the play structure. There were lots of kids still there last night and again today!!

We hope this is a day we talk about for a very long time. Pictures coming soon!

Please feel free to leave your thoughts on this blog so we can keep the conversation going.

Two Days To Go!!

It's been 6 months, and it is hard to believe that we have arrived at the pre-building stage. The volunteer crew is out working in the rain to prep the site for our build day on Saturday. We have lots of volunteers signed up and we can't wait to see you all out on Saturday, rain or shine.

Whether you will be building the playground, exercise equipment, planting flowers, cleaning up the neighbhourhood, or contributing to our urban art wall - there will be plenty of things to do!

Thanks again to everyone who has contributed, and will continue to contribute to this excellent initiative.












Volunteer work crews are plugging away Thursday and Friday to prep the site for Saturday

Build Day Schedule

Let Them Be Kids – Innisfail
Dr. Greg Ritson-Bennett Park Build

Schedule of Events: Saturday June 5, 2010

6:00 a.m. Set up.

7:00a.m. Registration opens. Coffee and muffins are available for morning volunteers.

REGISTRATION TABLE The registration table will be in the Back Alley on the east side of the park will have the registration tables where you can sign in, complete your waivers and get your t-shirt

PARKING We have allocated 49th Street and the CO-OP parking lot for parking your car. There will be NO access to 46th Ave. as it will be closed for construction equipment and materials.

FOOD: We are planning to feed you right! Please bring your own coffee mug as we are trying to be ‘green’. Water will be provided. Food and first aid booths will be located in the Heartland Funeral Home parking lot.

7:30 a.m. Childcare registration open.

CHILDCARE REGISTRATION TABLE will be in the United Church Hall. Childcare waiver forms will be supplied. Parents are required to sign-in and sign-out their children.

8:00 a.m. Build Day Begins.

REMINDER: all volunteers must check in at the registration table.
If you have not registered on the website yet, please do so at www.innisfail.ltbk.ca

11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Lunch is served for volunteers and children.

LUNCH will be served in the Heartland Funeral Home parking lot. Children in childcare will be fed at the United Church Hall

3:00 p.m. Childcare ends.

PICK UP: Children can be picked up to make their way to the park for the opening ceremonies. Children are welcomed to stay and play after the ceremonies are complete.

3:30 p.m. Opening Ceremonies, Dedication and Ribbon Cutting is set to begin.

4:00 p.m. Take-down.

We look forward to meeting all of you! Thank you again for your support, your participation and the opportunity to help create a better place for our children, families, friends and community.

Additional Information

· WHAT TO WEAR: Dress for activity, although none of the work is overly strenuous, you should be dressed for working around the “yard”... you are going to get dirty and want to dress for it...please no open toe shoes or sandals. Please bring work gloves if you have them!

· FIRST AID and PORT-A-POTTIES: First aid booths and port-a-potties will be located in the Heartland Funeral Home/Pem-Co parking lot

Art Space Created

When it rains.... we pour!!!

Pictured here are workers preparing the site by pouring cement for the retaining wall on the south side of the park.

Interestingly, this wall when dry and ready, will be Innisfail's newest art space which will allow impermanent, ongoing free expression. Bring wall paint and be the first to make a mark.

Park Redesign

Our equipment dimensions caused us to reshape the look of the park. Here is the new layout to be put in place in 8 days from today!

13 days left - Stories of Hope

There are few remaining days before the park build, and there has been many people step forward in wonderful and surprising ways to show their heart and support for the spirit of the project. Here are a few stories we have cherished and we hope to post more:

Recently, a woman who had been a teacher for many years and is now retired stepped forward out of the blue with her financial contribution. She had witnessed over the years benefits children receive when given a safe place to play. She wanted us to know that our work was good and in the right place for building a stronger community foundation. Also, she had been a patient of Greg's for many years and thought if he were still alive he would be very involved in the project. She shared her memories of Greg and then wished us well.

Quite awhile back, when we were going door-to-door for dotmocracy day one of the volunteers encountered a man that was astonished and pleased to be invited an opportunity to be part of a neighborhood grassroots venture. He commented that he had been living in Innisfail for quite some time and had NEVER been invited to share his thoughts about the place he lived in or asked to contribute. He offered his support.

A large service group was meeting after being approached for a donation. While the group went back and forth on their decision and became divided, a small strong voice countered all opinion and struck a chord. She quietly stated that they were a service group, and what more where they there for? Children need a place to play. How could they help?
The cheque to the park committee came in the next day.

These stories are not news headliners but they are examples of how people, when their heart and mind is in the right place, can make a difference.

We have heard people complain, make excuses and criticise. Do these things ever help?

Like Ian Hill said while visiting for Envision Innisfail, "You can't talk community, you have to DO community." He also said, "If we always do what is always done, then we'll always get what we've already got."

What challenging thoughts!!!

How can you make your community thrive?

How can you make your contribution and make a change?

The Final Push

There are 18 days left before build day!!
The park committee is getting excited because we have been anticipating Build Day since Christmas!
Did you sign-up to volunteer? We hope so.
It's going to be a noteable day for everyone who comes to help. Other towns that have done this describe it as AMAZING! Be sure to check out the LTBK website if you want to view other park build days and it will help you to dream a little bit about our big day that will be arriving so soon.

Old Playground Goes Down

I don't know what is harder to believe - that we had this much snow on May 5th, or that we are really going forward with building this new playground!  The crew moved in on Wednesday morning to take out the old playground and begin the landscaping and site preparation necessary for our big build day - JUNE 5th....which is only 31 days away!
Over the next couple of days, more work will be done on the site to get it ready and the local organizing committee is really getting excited about this playground, and we hope you are, too.

Please be sure to sign up as a volunteer (if you have not already done so).  And if you already signed up - have all of your friends, too?  We need many hands to help and many people to celebrate with.

Join the Effort!  Get Involved!

Service Above Self

Today the park committee met for another session. We keep our group together by moving forward with preparation plans and sharing stories of how the people of Innisfail truly shine when given an opportunity to contribute to their home and neighborhoods.

So many families and businesses are stepping forward to contribute and it is a great encouragement. We now have approx. 70 volunteers signed up and $27,000 dollars contributed. The goal of creating an awesome place for families and children to play and create community will be met if people of this town continue to provide with their service above self.

Let's keep it going! We will make a change!

58 Days Away!

We are getting closer and closer to our build day - only 8 weeks to go! We are very excited about this and are encouraged by all the people who have already signed up to be a volunteer.

Have you signed up yet? Remember, you can just click on the link to the left to volunteer, or donate, or learn more about how you can be involved. We are looking for all types of volunteers from food to celebration to construction and so much more.

June 5th is going to be a great day - the culmination of a lot of good, hard work done. And we hope you want to be a part of that, too. Be sure to tell your friends so they can tell their friends, and then they can tell their friends, and, well, you know - that's how it grows!

We have received some great donations, and you can find their links lower down on the page.

We also have some events coming up, so stay tuned for more details.

Be sure to comment on anything on this blog - let us know what you think. And if you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask!

Let Them Be Kids - Innisfail

Proposed Playground Layout

Hello! Please take some time to check out the proposed playground layout for the upcoming Greg Ritson-Bennett Park.

Thank you to our sponsors

Spiral Slide Donor - Over $2500.00

The Ritson-Bennett Family - Mike & Maymie O'Dwyer & Family - Nestle Purina

Doglide Slide Donor - $1500 to $2499

Wall Climber Donor - $751 to $1499

William & Norma Hoppins - Rotary Anns of Innisfail - Innisfail Kinette

Rock Challenge Donor - $101 to $750

Gayle & Grant Thompson - Innisfail & District Ministerial Association - Connie Dezutter - Tammy, Gordon, Shea & Sydney Thompson - The Gagnon Family - Carolyn & Tony Kramer - Patt Churchill - Barbara Marrinan - Shawna Travis - Mary Flemming - Shear Shelly - Stu & Grace Little - Ronald Young Gish Professional Corporation - Fox & Hound - Vivienne Campbell - The Leg Man - Donna Arnold - Lafarge Aggregates & Concrete - Sunterra Meats - Innisfail Family Day Home Society

Friends of the Park - up to $100

Innisfail & District Garden Club - Thelma Hein - Barbara Hill - Mr. & Mrs. Fred Peitzsche - Angela Sande and Family - JoAnne Keevill - Katherine & Murray Gall - Rhonda & Ken Oddy - Jean F. Wright - All-Vac Sales, Service & Repair - Anita Layden - Jeremy, Denise & Sophia Bouw - Veronica Reist - Carm Erickson - Donna Niehaus - Baiers Stationery - Margaret & Henry Medak - Heather Fletcher - Betty Olson - Marie Wilson & Marcel Keays - Mrs. Eunice Jensen - Fourman Dairy Distributors (2007) Ltd - Heartland Funeral Services