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Niagara Falls
Tuesday, December 3, 2024
Crossroads home show a community hit

 

A large portion of the money raised from this year’s NOTL Home Garden and Craft Show will go towards adding accessible equipment to the existing playground at Crossroads Public School.

The annual event took place at Crossroads on March 7. 

With more than 95 participating vendors, the event had already attracted more than 1,000 people by noon. Attendees could shop, eat and participate in a raffle with 90 prizes donated by various organizations and companies. The grand prize was the Samsung Galaxy Tab A.

For the young ones, there were bouncy castles, a Mad Scientist Show, Scoop McCoy Famly Magic, and a Coyote Hunt. Those who could find all 10 or 12 coyotes hidden throughout the event, could win the Fire 7 Kids Edition Tablet.

The idea of donating money for the project came to Amber Dyck, a member of the parent council and an assistant event co-ordinator, whose daughter Megan, 10, has a rare genetic disorder called mosaic trisomy 8.

Because Megan has a fragile spine, dislocated knees and a low muscle tone, the existing playground isn’t safe for her to participate in, Dyck said.

“At recess, she has to wander and try to find other things to do,” she said.

“But it’s always been an area where she’s felt that she doesn’t belong. It just reminded her of the limitations of her body which has caused her some pain over the years.”

In the last few years, there have been more students with physical disabilities coming to the school, Dyck said, so she pitched the idea to the parent council and it fully supported her idea.

The pieces will include a ramp with activity panels, a moving glider where children can sit, and musical equipment.

The cost of the project is more than $70,000, Dyck said adding that The Virgil Business Association has stepped up in a big way providing some funds.

With more than half of the cost already covered, the school is still looking for more funding to complete the project for spring.

The rest of the funds from the event will go back into the school’s initiatives such as technology in the classroom, upkeeping the current playground, improving hot lunches and more, Dyck said.

“A huge motivating factor this year is to help make play accessible for all at Crossroads,” she told The Lake Report.

Anyone wishing to donate to the playground project can contact the Crossroads’ main office.

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