Volunteers Bring London Township Playground Dream to Life

A long-held dream in London Township came down to one final pile of mulch.

For three days, volunteers at London Township Hall hauled wheelbarrows, sorted parts, set posts, installed equipment, carried benches and raked wood chips into place. By Saturday afternoon, May 30, the kid-designed, community-built playground at 13613 Tuttlehill Road was ready for a ribbon cutting.

The effort was led by London Township staff, orchestrated by KABOOM! and supported by the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation.

For London Township Supervisor Penny Turner, the playground had been years in the making.

According to Val Orr, executive director of the Community Foundation of Monroe County, the idea surfaced during an outreach visit to London Township as the foundation worked to connect with more rural areas of the county. Turner pointed out the window and talked about wanting to someday see a playground there.

The foundation knew of a grant opportunity through KABOOM! and the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation and helped connect the township with the program. The Greater Milan Area Community Foundation also helped promote the three-day build and recruit volunteers, describing it as a chance to bring “Penny’s dream” to life.

That dream required plenty of hands.

The work had the feel of a barn raising: drills, ladders, concrete, power equipment and neighbors moving from one job to the next. Volunteers worked alongside project leaders to turn plans, parts and piles of mulch into a finished play space.

The playground was shaped by children before construction began. According to a project media advisory, London Township children shared drawings of their dream play spaces with organizers in February, and those ideas were incorporated into the final design. The advisory described the new space as a meaningful investment for a community that previously lacked dedicated places for children to play.

The playground is part of the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation’s Built to Play initiative, launched in 2018 with KABOOM! to help communities create safe and imaginative places for children to play.

After the ribbon was cut, London Township reminded families that the equipment was not immediately ready for use. The township asked residents to stay off until the fencing and caution tape were removed so the concrete around the poles could cure.

In a post after the build, the township thanked Turner, KABOOM!, the Community Foundation of Monroe County and the volunteers who made the playground possible. The township also thanked Darana Dragway-Milan, Hungry Howie’s of Milan and Peppers for donating food during the three days.

Future ideas discussed during the build included nature trails, picnic tables, accessible paths and additional play options for other age groups.

For now, the biggest change is already standing outside London Township Hall.

What began as an idea outside a window is now a playground built by community hands, waiting for children to climb, swing and play once the fencing comes down.