Powder Creek Playground
Community volunteers will be building a playground at Powder Creek Park at 400 South Fifth in Bonham, Texas in March 2014. Our playground was designed by Leathers & Associates, with input from local children. We will need lots of help to build this unique playground in just five days. We need skilled and unskilled labor, child care providers, folks to prepare and serve food for the volunteers, volunteers to check people in and more. We also need to borrow lots of tools and equipment as well as more donations to cover the costs of materials.
About the Park
Powder Creek Park is located in downtown Bonham at 400 South Fifth Street and currently has beautiful trees, native plants, a walking track, handicapped accessible restrooms, and a sturdy bridge. In addition, the park has the potential to positively impact the community of Bonham and surrounding areas even further by providing a state-of-the-art playground nestled in Powder Creek Park. Local children and their families, as well as other groups and visitors to the downtown Bonham area, will benefit from the addition of a playground. Powder Creek Community Playground would undoubtedly create an area suitable for families, children, and community groups to gather for spring picnics, summer get-togethers, and fall festivals. Although, the playground’s location will be in Bonham, all of the surrounding areas will be able to benefit and volunteers from the entire county have joined together in this community project.
About the Playground
The Powder Creek Community Playground Committee continues to plan and raise funds in order to see the dream of local children become a reality. In November of 2008, local children from Finley-Oates Elementary, IW Evans Intermediate, and Forerunner Christian Academy assisted in providing inspiration for the design of the playground. Although the original design from Leathers & Associates has been scaled down to decrease the total amount of funds needed, there is still an amazing playground design that both children and supporters long to see. Civic organizations, individuals, corporations, schools and local foundations have come together financially to help get the playground constructed at Powder Creek Park. 
Community volunteers are scheduled to build the playground during spring break March 12-16, 2014 as part of the 4th Great Days of Service.
The playground will benefit all children who have an opportunity to visit the playground. Children with physical handicaps will also find an adapted swing seat that will allow them to enjoy swinging too. Children with sensory-processing disorders will enjoy making noises with the sound wall, feeling the varied textures of various playing surfaces and playing on the various components. The location of the playground in south Bonham will make it within walking distance of a large number of children who currently have no playground within walking distance of their homes.
The one-of-a-kind playground will have elements unique to our community. An Alamo has been included in honor of our town namesake, James Butler Bonham. A Warrior Head is also part of the playground design because it is our high school mascot.
The final value of the playground will be two or three times the amount of cash raised for the playground, because there will also be in-kind contributions and volunteer labor to construct the playground.
About Chi Lambda
Chi Lambda is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the children of Fannin County. They are the lead organization in this community effort. Donations to the playground are given to Chi Lambda, so all contributions will be tax deductible to the extent allowable by law.
About the Finances – as of 3/8/2014
Income Received:
$39,300 – Component Sales
$3,970 – Picket Sales
$10,566 – Fundraising Events
$30,000 – BEDCO
$26,412 – Donations
$110,248 – TOTAL Received
$900 – Pledged
$5,000 – Home Depot Grant
$116,148 – TOTAL INCOME – Received & Pledged
Expenses – Paid & Projected
$39,288 – Leathers & Associates (fees & travel)
$68,152 – Materials
$2,714 – Fundraising Expenses
$6,600 – Electrical work
$4,246 – Contingencies & Misc
$121,000 – TOTAL Estimated Expenses
$4,852- Estimated left to raise*
*We have been able to get some materials, tools and equipment donated. If we are able to secure additional in-kind donations, the amount of cash needed will be decreased. Any funds left over after the build will be used for maintenance of the playground. This playground is estimated to last about 25 years. The actual value of the finished playground will be two or three times what we have paid for it, thanks in large part to all of the volunteer labor that will build this playground.
Powder Creek Playground 