Packers help Eco Park playground

WAUPACA – The City of Waupaca Parks and Recreation Department announced that it was awarded a grant from the Green Bay Packers Foundation as part of the Foundation’s annual grant cycle.
The city is raising funds to build a nature-based playground at Eco Park. Unlike standard steel-and-plastic structures, this playscape will use wood, stone, and landscape features to support
free, unstructured play that research shows is essential for healthy child development. Children will be able to balance on logs, scramble over boulders, and zip along cable elements that mirror the natural environment around them. To make this accessible to everyone, the project will include an ADA trail connection and a new, fully plumbed restroom.
The city was honored along with 397 other nonprofit organizations throughout Wisconsin that have received a grant this year at a luncheon event at Lambeau Field on Dec. 17.
The Green Bay Packers Foundation issues grants each year to nonprofit organizations throughout the state of Wisconsin. This year, the Foundation focused on awarding grants to organizations that will use the funds for programs or projects that address animal welfare, health and wellness, including drug, alcohol and domestic violence, civic and community initiatives and environmental causes.
This year, in its distribution of annual grants, the Foundation awarded $1.5 million to 398 civic and charitable groups throughout the state of Wisconsin. With these disbursements, the Foundation has distributed more than $25.7 million for charitable purposes since it was established in 1986.