RIO LINDA, CA (MPG) - Lifepointe Church, located in Rio Linda, provides services to the local community, which supports youth and adult education in many areas of human interest. The church has an area for older kids to play in the back of the facility, but really lacked something safe and meaningful for the infant to young toddler age group. This was a huge need and wish list item.

Rotary Club of Foothill Highlands, under President Roland Wright’s leadership, together with the team at LifePointe Church, led by Pastor Robert Hale, began the project to build the playground about 2 years ago and finally finished earlier this year.

The goal of the joint project was to provide a safe space outdoors for the younger children to play.

The Rotary Club of Foothill Highlands has served the Greater Sacramento Area communities of Antelope, Elverta, Foothill Farms, McClellan, North Highlands and Rio Linda since 1959. This club is proud to partner with local organizations like LifePointe Church to bring services that those in our area need and can enjoy. There were in fact multiple Rotary Clubs involved in this overall effort. Both the Foothill Highlands Club and the North Sacramento Club made use of the District Grant process to earn matching funds; we also received some wonderful assistance from the Point West Rotary Club.

This was no small project, even for a 14 member Rotary Club that considers itself small but mighty. Nevertheless, the challenge was accepted and both groups were determined to make this happen. The project spanned over multiple years to allow for a few phases. First, there was ground preparation, safety fencing and bollards were to be installed. The next phase was ordering the playground, which in and of itself was a project with being in the middle of supply chain issues and essentially during the peak of COVID. This caused our greatest delays. Thanks to Roland and his employer, Hallsten Corporation, many essential materials were donated to assist in keeping this project moving along.

Finally, word came that the playground was shipped and was en route to our location. We immediately ordered a special rubber flooring that again keeps the focus on safety for children, protecting and preventing a potential brain injury for falls up to 6ft. We assembled the playground with a massive amount of support from the church, our Rotary Club, a few Rotaractors and some additional fellow Rotarians from inside District 5180. With the playground in place, the flooring went in. The kids were able to immediately enjoy the new structure as did a few Rotarians. In fact, soon after the playground became active, the size of the youth group immediately expanded; this was a special added bonus according to the church pastor. How nice to see the power of the Rotary District Grant at work. Thanks to all the Rotary Clubs, grant money and Church funds over this 2 year period, we were able to complete this incredible $30,000 project. Time to find another community need!!