To the editor:

Thank you to the Review and editor Brian Kelly for such prominent coverage of the new KidsUp Playground planned for Battle Point Park (Dec. 21). The Bainbridge Island Parks Foundation looks forward to a lively new year of fundraising and friend-raising, bringing the community together behind this exciting project.

Like the original KidsUp, the reimagined, expanded playground is a truly grassroots effort. The playground design and its centerpiece “ferry boat” play structure were dreamed up by a dedicated group of volunteer parents, working closely with the Bainbridge Island Metro Park District staff and the Landscape Structures, Inc., design firm. The amazing range of swings, slides and spinners will inspire active, imaginative play and exciting sensory experiences for healthy child development, while the ferry boat will evoke island lore and sense of place.

Best of all, the new KidsUp will be truly inclusive, with fun features accessible to kids of all abilities.

Once again, community contributions are essential. When fundraising reaches $250,000, the ferry play structure can be purchased; we currently need another $80,000 to reach that milestone.

You can support the new KidsUp financially at many levels: from welcome plaque recognition, to sponsorship of play equipment and art features, to personalized bricks and fence charms. Opportunities abound! Find out more at www.biparksfoundation.org, or call us at 206-842-4971 and become a keystone KidsUp donor.

A generation of island families will always treasure their memories of the original KidsUp Playground. Join us now as we make KidsUp: The Next Generation of Play a reality for today’s kids, and tomorrow’s.

BARB TRAFTON

Executive Director, Bainbridge Island Parks Foundation