Cheer Story: Whitewood Public Library Hosts Winter Community Fun Day
The Town of Whitewood is one of several communities that have benefitted from the GROW Your Community Grant funding this year. This winter, the Whitewood Public Library applied to purchase outdoor equipment to host a "Winter Community Fun Day" in partnership with Whitewood School.
Whitewood community members had the opportunity to take part in several physical activities outdoors. "Activities included snowshoeing in a large park area, snow bowling/golfing (when weather permitted), snow squirt art, playing with horseshoes, playing with snowballs, and using hula hoops as an obstacle/racecourse," explains Erica Duncan, Branch Librarian.
All these activities had a focus on using physical and cognitive skills to take part in the activities as individuals and in teams while making it fun and accessible for all participants of all ages.
"When using the snowshoes, participants were able to view deer tracks in the park and see the deer in the distance. Children also brought back some ‘treasures’ they found on their walk to play with (such as fallen sticks) and to talk about what they saw during their walk."
Duncan explains, "Participants were able to attend an event at no cost and provide an opportunity to complete in activities in winter as a family that they may not otherwise have the opportunity to do so in a small community. They were also able to gain ideas about how they could access low-cost materials to encourage outdoor activity."
"Using funding to purchase materials has been a huge boost. The library is a non-profit organization and relies on fundraising, donations, and funding from other groups to be able to provide programs that the community wishes to access. The resources that we have purchased using this funding can be used year after year, can be loaned out to people, and can provide programming delivery year-round to maximize healthy and activity opportunities for people of all ages in the community."
Photo Credit: Whitewood Public Library
