Mackenzie wins BCAA Play Here contest
A new playground is coming to Mackenzie, thanks to the efforts of those who voted in the BCAA Play Here contest. Mackenzie won one of three $100,000 grand prizes, which will go directly into building a play space for the children in Mackenzie. See their bid video.
“When we got the call saying we had officially won, I felt thrilled and relieved,” said McKinnon. “We were all so happy that all that work paid off. The disappointment would have been gut-wrenching had we lost.”
When the Play Here campaign was first announced, Andrea Wolowski, Northern Health’s Health Services Administrator for Mackenzie, brought the idea to the “Mackenzie Gets Healthy” committee which she co-chairs with Joan Atkinson, who’s since retired from the District of Mackenzie.
“The addition of a new playground to Mackenzie will be beneficial to the community in the sense that it will provide a place for families to gather, form relationships, build community spirit and do it in a healthy way while enjoying the great outdoors,” said Wolowski.
One of the biggest issues was that the proposed site was on District of Mackenzie land. But Atkinson found someone at the district office who championed the idea and successfully secured the land for the bid. Leanne McKinnon, a Registered Nurse (RN) at the Mackenzie & District Hospital & Health Centre, stepped forward to put a bid together and lead the campaign.
Since Mackenzie was announced as a grand prize winner, a playground design has been approved and work will get underway in late September. This will be a community built playground. About 25-30 volunteers will be split into teams of 5-6 to build the playground under the supervision of a certified playground installer. The hope is to have the play structure up in one day.
A huge win for the community
“This is a huge win for the community of Mackenzie. Currently we have no safe playground for the two- to five-year-olds and no community spaces in Mackenzie that will allow people to meet and socialize,” said McKinnon. “Playgrounds provide children an area to practice developmental skills from physical to social.”
The campaign organizers wish to thank everyone who was involved.
“When a town of 3,500 people wins a provincial-wide competition, you know we had some help. As soon as we realized we were the only community in Northern BC, we quickly created the "Unite the North" campaign,” said McKinnon.
Northern Health congratulates RN’s Leanne McKinnon and Hannah Clarkson for their work in getting a bid together and promoting the contest. Thanks also goes out to Andrea Wolowski for getting the ball rolling on this bid and to the District of Mackenzie for their cooperation and support.
About BCAA Play Here:
BCAA has a long history of protecting kids in BC, on and off the road. The goal of BCAA Play Here is to continue this tradition by giving children in BC better places to play.
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