By Nikki McKim
Three years ago, a group of citizens in Verdon noticed that their playground lacked equipment for children with disabilities. The community has been determined to make a difference and now they’ve come together with a shared goal: to raise money for handicapped playground equipment.
They have carefully selected equipment that would cater to Verdon’s children with various disabilities, ensuring that every child could play and have fun without limitations.
Verdon hopes to see that children of all abilities can play together, creating memories that last a lifetime. The village wants to make a space where every child feels included and accepted.
A community member spoke with the Journal and said the park has a very tall slide that excludes children with certain limitations.
“We wanted to do something that was for everyone, not just limited to certain kids. We have a child that loves slides and our goal was to do this.”
The town has tried to get grants for the playground equipment, but matching the funds is too costly.
“We don’t have that kind of money. So we decided we were going to have a fundraiser.”
They’ve organized a series of fundraising events this Saturday, September 9.
Starting at 8:00 a.m., they will be holding a community yard sale. There will be seven spots at the Community Center, with all proceeds going to the playground equipment and improvements to the community center.
At 4:00 p.m. the same day, a fish fry fundraiser featuring a hayrack ride and bounce house will occur at 301 6th Street in Verdon. Verdon Community Workers and Volunteer Fire Department will provide the meal.
They will serve catfish, chicken strips, sides and desserts, free will donation. A corn hole tournament will cost $20/team starting at 4:00 p.m., gun raffle-Savage Axis II XP 6.5 Creedmore with Bushnell Banner Scope $5 ticket or 5 $20. The drawing will be held that night. The winner doesn’t need to be present.
There will be a live auction that local businesses generously donated items to.
The can’t-miss event is the dunk tank with community members, sure to be a highlight of the night.
Verdon is sure to be a hub of excitement and unity.
“We just needed and wanted to do this for the kids. It will be closer to $70,000 before we get it completely done, but there are things we can buy now and make it bigger as we go. So we’re going to start there and then every year we’re going to keep going and building it so everybody can use it and have a good time,” said the resident of Verdon.
For anyone who can’t make it to this weekend’s event, you can send donations to the Village of Verdon (Park Fund) at PO Box 114, Verdon, NE 68457.
The story of this community’s dedication and compassion is a reminder that when people come together for a common cause, they can make a remarkable impact and create a world where everyone feels valued and cherished.
