 One day after the fire that leveled our beloved Dream Playground, Molina Healthcare of Washington approached us with the offer of a $10,000 matching donation. We met that match as of 9:40pm on Christmas Day (excuse us as we wipe away a tear). We are incredibly grateful to Molina Healthcare of Washington for stepping up and being part of how our community has come together in the wake of this sad event. Every person who donated between 1:37 on December 21, and 9:40pm on December 25, had their donation DOUBLED thanks to Molina. We hope to have news for you soon, now that most of us have returned from our holiday breaks. In the meantime, we wish you all a very Happy New Year and a joyful 2024!!!
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 The Dream Playground is thrilled and humbled to announce that Wilder Auto, Homes and RV have just pledged a $10,000 donation to the rebuilding of the Dream Playground. Wilder had a team of volunteers on site to help build the original playground, and also sponsored the zip line at the new playground. Wilder has been an important part of the playground since the beginning; and while we are overwhelmed by their continued support, we aren't surprised. Thank you, Wilder! We hope you will support the companies, like Wilder, that support our community!
Support for the rebuilding of the Dream Playground has flowed in as quickly as the news of the destruction went out. We are thrilled to announce that last night, Molina Healthcare of Washington made an unsolicited offer to match donations to the playground up to $10,000! That means that when you give, your donation will double! Molina has also pledged a volunteer team to help with the rebuilding. We are grateful and humbled by this support. Thank you for helping us rebuild this dream!  The Dream Playground Foundation has been overwhelmed by the love and support shown by the community in the last 28 hours. Many of you have expressed interest in being part of the rebuild. While we have many steps to go before we can make rebuilding plans, we have created a sign up form for those who want to be a part of it! Sign up on the home page of our website or by filling out the form below. If you have special skills or equipment to lend to the effort, please make a note of it in the form's comment section. Thank you so much for your support. We look forward to coming together as a community to rebuild this Dream! Help Rebuild the Dream
A lot of folks in the community have been asking about insurance on the playground as well as rebuilding efforts. We wanted to give an update as to where we are in the process:
  Bad things happen sometimes. Thousands of donations and hundreds of hands built a playground that is loved and used so heavily by our kids and community, and this morning we awoke to find much of it destroyed by fire. We are all just in grief and shock, because it is more than a playground; it’s a statement about who we are as a community, and about where our priorities lie.
It feels like we’ve lost a loved one. But unlike that kind of unrecoverable loss, structures can live again. We are lucky to have a town full of giving and caring neighbors who know how to build and make good things happen. Our playground will be back and better than ever. We are already preparing ways to work closely with local organizations and city officials to develop a coordinated plan for the recovery and rebuilding of the Dream Playground We realize that everyone is wondering what they can do and how they can help. There are a number of details that need to become clear, and as soon as they do we will communicate with everyone about next steps. In the meantime, we have created a general fund where anyone can give to help in our efforts to rebuild. You can give to this fund by clicking "Give Now" above. Let's stand together as a community. Your support and solidarity are invaluable during these challenging times. Reach out to one another, offer a helping hand, and let's ensure that the spirit of our community remains unbroken. As we navigate the path ahead, we will keep you informed of our progress and ways in which you can contribute to the collective effort. Together, we can turn this adversity into an opportunity to showcase the resilience and strength that define Port Angeles. Let this be yet another lesson we can give to our children. We can have wonderful stuff. But more importantly, we can teach them how loss can be handled with grace, strength, friends, and grit. Let’s get on with it. -The Dream Playground Foundation  Engraved pavers have arrived and will be installed around the central gazebo in spring of 2022. Exact installation dates will be shared as soon as they are confirmed.
Thank you to everyone who helped build this wonderful playground by purchasing a brick or picket! The estate sale hosted by Al and Nancy Oman was such a success that they and the Dream Playground Board have agreed to host an additional day! New items will be available and all proceeds will fund security lighting so that local families can continue to safely use the playground throughout the fall and winter. Join us on November 20 from 8am to 3pm at 214 Hancock Avenue in Port Angeles. Do you have good, clean items that you would like to donate? Email [email protected]. Thank you for your support!   October 20, 2021 Port Angeles, WA -- Al and Nancy Oman have a house full of memories and want them to light up the new Dream Playground.
On October 30 and 31, the Omans will host a large estate sale and plan to donate the proceeds to the Dream Playground Foundation for security and safety lighting. Enthusiastic families and local skate park users alike have suggested that, in order to keep the popular new playground safe and well-monitored, security lighting should be installed. Al’s parents passed away in recent years, leaving the Omans with a life’s accumulation of furniture, tools, fine china, silver, appliances, and all the rest. As a Playground Foundation board member and core volunteer during the playground rebuild earlier this year, the solution about what to do with it all came to him after a recent board meeting where lights were discussed. “Al is an extremely organized guy, so people are going to be pleased with how well everything is displayed and laid out,” said Steve Methner, Foundation President. “It really touched us all that he and Nancy wanted to do this.” The sale will be held in a large detached building at 214 Hancock Ave. in Port Angeles from 8am to 3pm on Saturday and Sunday, October 30-31. If playground supporters want to help with high-quality items to add to the effort, the Omans have a modest capacity to include them. Also, since the Halloween weekend effort is about kids and play, costumes are encouraged! For more information contact Steve Methner at 360-460-7356 or [email protected].  Looking for a holiday gift for the person who has everything? Gift an engraved brick or picket at the Port Angeles Dream Playground! Engraved bricks and pickets will continue to be on sale through January 31, 2022. Make a child or loved one's name a permanent part of this beloved playground.
$50 - Picket $100 - 4"x8" Brick $225 - 8"x8" Brick |
