WCUMC

Press Release

Hustonville — The Westside Community United Methodist Church (WCUMC) will build a destination public park on the U.S 127 corridor in the Hustonville/Moreland area. The goal is to meet the needs of the community’s residents and families for recreation, outdoor play, fitness and social connection.

It is a multi-phase project that includes two playgrounds, a sand volleyball court, a full-size basketball court, a half-mile paved walking trail, a ninja fitness course, U8 Soccer fields and a picnic pavilion with accessible restrooms, commercial kitchen, and staging with sound and projection.

On May 18 the phase one 8,500 square foot playground opened to the public. This first step was made possible through the generosity of church members, AT&T, the Li’l Cherubs Organization and a community 5K race.

WCUMC is announcing their partnership with the Kendyl and Friends Foundation to bring the phase two inclusive playground that much closer to becoming a reality.

“We at Kendyl and Friends Foundation are pleased and proud to announce our partnership with Westside Community Church,” said Crimson Claycomb, founder and executive director of the foundation. She said the group’s goal is to bring an inclusive playground to the Hustonville area so the special-needs community will have a place to pay and enjoy life.

She said the mission at the foundation is to bring these playgrounds to every community. “We are proud of the community of Hustonville and the Westside Community United Methodist Church for making this a priority. We look forward to this partnership, the work we will be doing together, and the great playground that is going to be built as a result.”

Kendyl and Friends built its first special needs playground at the Anderson Dean Community Park in Harrodsburg in 2017. Since that time, the foundation has built Kendyl and Friends playgrounds in Burgin, Liberty, Georgetown and Jessamine County.

The Hustonville campus, along with ones in Campbellsville and Lancaster, will be the newest additions. Faron Owen, the senior pastor at WCUMC, highlighted what this partnership means to The Westside Community Park.

“Last year, our congregation began to dream of working cooperatively with our community to build a public park on our land that will benefit everyone, including our neighbors with special needs,” Owen said. He said they knew they needed input and guidance from the families.

“We are so excited about this partnership. The foundation brings an expertise, passion and network of support to the project that makes possible something even greater than we ever imagined. Their involvement is one more piece in the puzzle to truly make this a collaborative community project and we are proud that The Westside Community Park will host another campus of Kendyl and Friends inclusive playgrounds.”

The Westside Community Park will immediately benefit the 1,000 kids from 569 families in the Hustonville zip code, but it is designed to serve our greater region of Lincoln, Boyle and Casey counties.

In the Lincoln County School district alone there are 203 students with identified special needs that substantially limit major life activities. This inclusive playground and the accessible restrooms in the pavilion are being built to serve them. There will be a wheelchair accessible play structure, merry-go-round and swing.

Additionally, the special needs playground will have six different inclusive and adaptive swings, a buddy rocker, communication boards and wheelchair-friendly rubberized surfacing.

Breah Sebastian, a mother with a special needs daughter in Hustonville, said,  “I am over the moon excited about this project as this will be life changing for our family. Morgan has Emanuel Syndrome, a genetic disorder which causes global medical issues.”

Sebastian said her daughter can only withstand short spurts of activity before she tires out, so having an inclusive playground within two miles of their home means they will be able to frequently visit with minimal effort.

“Morgan loves everyone and having this playground will allow her to interact with her peers regardless of their disabilities. Not only will this be a huge blessing to my family, but to our entire community. We can enjoy it together while encouraging exercise and healthier lifestyles.”

The Westside Community Park is open to the public from dawn until dusk, seven days a week.

For more information, visit thewestsidecommunitypark.org or call Owen at (859) 333-3902. To support the park financially, go to gofundme.com/the-westside-community-park.