At the first birthday celebration of Linwood Community Daycare Friday, the children unveiled a new playground.
The playground, made and installed by LES Playgrounds, of Elkins, was put in place in one week with the help of community volunteers. The project was made possible through donations and support from: Pocahontas County Parks and Recreation, Try This! West Virginia, Keys for Healthy Kids, Snowshoe Mountain Resort, the Benedum Foundation, Unicare, West Virginia Department of Education Child Nutrition, the Division of Health and Human Resources and Beckwith Lumber.
The Linwood Community Daycare has achieved a lot in its first year. Director and president of the daycare board Tracey Valach said the work has been a community effort.
“This whole thing is just a big community thing,” Valach said. “If it wasn’t for Snowshoe Foundation, we wouldn’t have the money. If it wasn’t for the Episcopal Ministries, we wouldn’t have our nonprofit status. It’s a big community effort. It’s cool. We like it like that. Everyone is helping each other.”
As part of the celebration, Jason Hall provided music, David McLaughlin brought a pony for children to ride and there were inflatable castles for endless entertainment. Guests were also given tours of the daycare’s garden and classrooms.
Staff for the daycare are Beth Wilfong, Jessica Hays, Nancy Swecker and Marita Dragan. The facility is located in the Linwood Community Library and is open Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. It serves children ages six weeks to 12 years.
For more information on the Linwood Daycare, call 304-572-6580.