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Monthly Archives: April, 2022

Fun Day at Lakemont Ridge, FL – A letter from a great supporter of DNWM

Fun Day at Lakemont Ridge Frostproof, Florida!

booksmark fund raising in FL

We received this wonderful letter and beautiful bookmarks from a supporter of DNWM.

Our 55 and older retirement community event, is held in February each year.  It wasn’t held last year because of Covid.

I had lots of pieces of Aida cloth left from bigger projects and decided to do counted cross stitch bookmarks with it.  I also have lots of crochet cotton left from bigger projects and found some bookmark crochet patterns and started crocheting bookmarks.  Then there was the material scraps from larger projects and those could be sewed into bookmarks as well.

The next thought I had was ‘what will I do with all these bookmarks’ which I began making during Covid.  I have never sold anything I have made, so that wasn’t an option.  I enjoy giving away whatever I make, HOWEVER, Disability Network came to mind and I remembered the Fun Day from other years.  So I enquired about how that works, signed up for a table and in February set it up with a big sign, including the logo, that said all proceeds go to Disability Network West Michigan.

The sale was from 8 am until 1 pm and a portion of the Club House was set aside with tables for crafters of all kinds.  Fun Day includes a lot of activities starting with coffee and donuts in the morning grilled lunch outdoors, games, and concludes with an auction.

I was all set up at 8 am and no one came through, so I figure it would be a long day.  That didn’t last long.  Soon there were lots and lots of people and they were buying bookmarks.  Someone would comment, “I really like that one” then walk on by, come back later to buy it and it was already gone.  The Disability sign generated lots of conversation about the organization and ways other people are helping people with disabilities.  Lots of satisfying interaction.

I really enjoyed doing it, meeting new people in our community, seeing all different kinds of arts and crafts and, most of all, knowing what I raised was going to a worthy organization.

Then I leveraged my “better” half to contribute some cash as well, so that sealed the deal.

Donna & Gil Fleser

New opportunities for individuals with disabilities to enjoy outdoor recreation

Let’s help the Village of Shelby make this project the best and most inclusive that it can be as this playground will be an asset to your community and Oceana County for years to come.

Join us on April 11 at 6:playground image with accessible swings00 pm

Location: Shelby Village Hall, 218 N Michigan Avenue, Shelby, MI

The Village of Shelby will be submitting a grant application to purchase and install a *Universally Accessible Playground at Getty Park. The Village of Shelby is doing their due diligence to ensure that Getty Park is designed for all users and will create new opportunities for individuals with disabilities to enjoy outdoor recreation. At the writing of this invite, the Village is still finalizing the revision of the park’s master plan for this project. But I am happy to report the master plan is not only planning to install the universal playground, but there is a splash pad being planned, a gazebo, restrooms, picnic pavilion with a gas fireplace, seating areas with companion seating, accessible picnic tables, natural landscaped areas, as well as basketball, tennis, and pickle ball courts.

We hope that you will join us on Monday, April 11th, at 6:00 pm to help us support the Village’s efforts with the renovation plans for Getty Park. Once completed Getty Park will become a destination for you and many other people to recreate and enjoy these universally designed park amenities.

Should you not be able to attend the meeting, please check out the conceptual renderings of the playground attached to this communication. We would then encourage you to write a brief letter expressing your support of a universal playground and the benefits of this park with accessible park amenities for your family. Those letters can be sent to the Village of Shelby at the address below.

Please reach out to us if you have questions or concerns. We look forward to our time together.

Sincerely,

Disability Network West Michigan & The Village of Shelby