The Rotary Club of North Bay has stepped up to support a unique playground located at One Kids Place.
The Jack Lyons Playground is "a sensory-friendly, accessible place for all kids to be kids," which is located behind One Kids Place in North Bay.
It is named after Jack Lyons, a 17-year-old young autistic teen who passed away in late April, but before his passing had hit celebrity status in North Bay as an autism ambassador.
The Rotary Club handed over a big cheque to Jack's father Mark Lyons and One Kids Place during the Rotary4Kids radio-a-thon press conference at One Kids Place on Wednesday.
"Today we made a donation of $10,000 from various Rotary Funds to support the advancement of the Jack Lyons playground which plays a very big role in their autism summer camp program," said Jeff Rogerson, Rotary4Kids Chair and member of the North Bay Rotary Club.
See related: Rotary4Kids to get another boost from Radio-a-thon
See related: This playground is inspired by his soul
Mark Lyons, father of Jack and a driver for autism equipment fundraising and camps in the North Bay area, as always, graciously appreciated the support.
"Jeff Rogerson and Don Coutts, those guys just wanted to help out special needs and extend that playground," explained Lyons.
"So the good news for the community is there are three new pieces coming to our playground come June. The money allocated is about $23,000 so over $70,000 is sitting there in donations from North Bay to build a playground for special needs kids so it is overwhelming that that legacy is on that wall for us."
One Kids Place officials say the equipment is used to either stimulate or calm the child using it.
"It is the first of its kind in North Bay and it is very specific for children with autism and sensory challenges so it is very special,"said Katharine Strang, development officer at One Kids Place, during the June 10, 2022 opening.
