Local Businesses Assist with New Community Playground in Southwest Florida
It took a village to move a playground when Community Cooperative donated equipment to Child Care of Southwest Florida. A spontaneous public-private partnership materialized to relocate no-longer-needed play structures from Community Cooperative in Fort Myers to CCSWFL’s new LaBelle early-education center, scheduled to open June 30.
Employees from Waste Pro, a waste-removal service company, had volunteered to dismantle the equipment, and Suncoast Beverage Sales offered to transport it in a Bud Light semitrailer. When some of the pieces were unexpectedly too big for the truck, Sam Galloway Ford came to the rescue with a flatbed truck and assistance from All Star Rentals.
“Watching this effort unfold and seeing everyone so willing to help was wonderful,” said Community Cooperative Executive Officer Tracey Galloway. “It was more of a challenge than we anticipated, but everyone was determined to get the project done.”
In January, Community Cooperative (then CCMI) closed its Montessori Preschool, and most of its 34 preschoolers transferred to Child Care of Southwest Florida’s P.A. Geraci Child Development Center, less than two miles away. The move eliminated some duplication of services within the Dunbar community and was consistent with the United Way philosophy of partner agencies collaborating on shared services. When Community Cooperative offered the unneeded equipment, CCSWFL’s new LaBelle center was the right place to rebuild the playground.
“Our new LaBelle center, less than a mile from the current Children’s Garden of LaBelle location, is a larger facility with room for an expanded outdoor play area,” said Executive Director Beth Lobdell. “With the move, we expect to increase our enrollment by a dozen youngsters, so the new playground will be well used.”
Since its creation in 1984, Community Cooperative has been providing emergency food outreach and resources to communities across Lee County, as well as partnering with agencies throughout Southwest Florida. Child Care of Southwest Florida, founded in 1967, works to strengthen and enhance the lives of children and their families at six accredited early-education centers in Lee and Hendry counties. To learn more, visit www.ccmileecounty.com and www.ccswfl.org.