Calhoun Elementary Receives OH Grant for New Playground

By Damon Stone McLean County News

Calhoun Elementary School recently received a grant from Owensboro Health to support a new playground at the school.

“We applied for the mini grant through OMHS to help fund repairs for our playground equipment,” said Kim Gatton, the principal at the school. “As most people know, play is an active part in children’s growth and development, and it’s necessary for them to be active and to stay healthy. We had written the grant in that perspective, that it would be something to give kids an active place to play and be able to be outdoors to help with their health and fitness.”

The playground had a swing bridge and a slide that needed repairs, along with an x-wave piece that did not pass inspection. Additionally, the bridge that connected the pieces had sustained excessive wear at the adjoining bolt area, and the slide had cracks that could pose an issue, and the x-wave had rubber missing from metal pieces, Gatton said.

“We were super excited and thankful that they would invest in our kids’ health, and physical activity,” Gatton said. “In the future, we’re going to have to completely replace our playground equipment; it has been here for several years, and the wear is starting to show. It’s an important part of our kids’ day here at Calhoun and we would like for them to always have a structure for them to play on, and we would like to meet ADA compliance for all our students at Calhoun, to see that it’s accessible and open to all children.”

Organizations who are recipients of the $2,500 mini-grant program through Owensboro Health Community Health Investment have to be able to tie their project to at least one identified priority health area, or social determinant of health named in their county. Those priority health needs and social determinants of health are named in a variety of different assessments, Nicole Leach, the community engagement specialist for Owensboro Health, said.

“They had submitted a mini-grant back in March, and we were happy to partner with them in order to provide that,” Leach said. “[With] the mini-grant program, we partner with organizations through small health related projects, and this was a perfect way for us to be able to work with that school system in McLean County.”

Owensboro Health mini-grants have been provided to schools in the past, as they serve 18 counties across western Kentucky and southern Indiana, providing to individual schools and school systems across that area, Leach said.

One of the problems that Calhoun Elementary School mentioned in their application was that of obesity and its related diseases. They addressed how, specifically, playground equipment is a necessity at the school, and they talked about obesity, and that childhood obesity is an issue that McLean County sees. Additionally, they mentioned the mental health aspect of exercise, as improved physical health can have an effect on mental health as well, along with the social health of children interacting with one another on a playground, Leach said.

“We’re super thankful and grateful for Owensboro Health Community to invest in our kids, and we appreciate that,” Gatton said.