DEARBORN, Michigan – Children who play at Dearborn’s Morningside Park are enjoying a new playscape thanks to employees of Dearborn-based Severstal North America who pitched in with their employer and collaborated with the non-profit Dearborn Community Fund to purchase new playground equipment.
At a dedication ceremony on September 17, Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr. thanked Severstal and its employees for their continued support of the Dearborn Community. Children from the neighborhood joined Mayor O’Reilly at the dedication along with Severstal’s Vice President / General Manager Bruce Black and Executive Assistant Judy Young; Dearborn Community Fund Board Chair Karen Nigosian and Executive Director EmmaJean Woodyard; Dearborn Recreation Commission Chair Johanna Seidel and Commissioner Louie Moussa; Dearborn Commission on Disability Concerns member
Gary Filiak; and Dearborn Recreation Director Gregory Orner and Deputy Directory Eric Peterson.
The $15,000 donation to purchase the playscape, complete with slides and a mini climbing wall, included $8,450 that employees raised through raffle ticket sales at Severstal’s open house last fall. The company contributed an additional $6,550 to fund the purchase of the playground equipment which is compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements.
Morningside Park is nestled in a residential community on Morningside Ave. near Wyoming St. in southeast Dearborn. Every day, dozens of children and their families visit the park which is maintained by the City of Dearborn’s Department of Recreation and Parks.
Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr., joined Severstal Dearborn’s Vice President and General Manager, Bruce Black, Dearborn Community Fund Board Chair Karen Nigosian, Morningstar neighborhood residents, and members of the City’s Recreation Commission, on September 17 to dedicate the new playscape. At the ceremony, Mayor O’Reilly thanked Severstal and its employees for their continued support of the Dearborn community.
Severstal worked with the Dearborn Community Fund to organize their fundraising raffle, determine how the funds they raised could be used to benefit the community, and order the playground equipment.
Working closely with other organizations and the City of Dearborn, the DCF raises funds and organizes volunteer support for arts, cultural and recreational programs that enhance the quality of life in Dearborn.
For more information about the Dearborn Community Fund, visit www.dearborncommunityfund.org or call Executive Director EmmaJean Woodyard at 313-943-5478.