The West Monroe-West Ouachita Chamber of Commerce had an incredible opportunity to help support a new addition to the community.
The Chamber recently made a monetary donation to the new West Monroe Civitan Smiles Park project. The park will be a new inclusive
children's playground with a handicapped-accessible pavilion and restrooms
built within Kiroli Park in West Monroe.
At the Chamber's Annual Banquet on December 8, a $2,500 donation was presented to the West Mornoe Civitan Club on behalf of
the Chamber of Commerce and Chick-fil-A. Carrie Kurlander, vice president of
public relations at Chick-fil-A, served as the keynote speaker at the Chamber's
Annual Banquet. In appreciation for Chick-fil-A's generous support of the
banquet, the Chamber wanted to make a donation
in the company's honor to a program that would enhance the West Monroe area for
families.
The Civitan Club, organizers of the annual Ark-La-Miss Fair,
is the major sponsor of the project along with the City of West Monroe. The
Civitan Club has worked for two years with Shane's Inspiration, a
California-based non-profit organization, to design Smiles Park.
Matt West, Committee Chairman of the park project, said playgrounds such as these are for all children of all abilities to play on. The misson of the project is to create social inclusion for children with disabilities through the vehicle of inclusive playgrounds and programs.
The Civitan Club hopes to raise approximately $1.2 million
to complete Smiles Park. Funds raised to date are $350,000 of which the West
Monroe Civitan Club is contributing $270,000 of its own funds. The goal is to
finish fundraising as soon as possible and begin construction on the park
sometime in 2015.
