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New boulder park a rock-solid symbol of action and togetherness

Published: September 25, 2023

In northern BC, Rotary Club of Williams Lake Daybreak harnesses community spirit for new playground apparatus

There’s a brand-new boulder playground in the heart of Boitanio Park in Williams Lake.

At first glance, it might appear to be just another climbing structure for children to burn off their energy—but this park stands proud and holds a story that must be told to children and their families who climb and play within its bounds.

So what’s so special about it? Other than it being the second public playground in Williams Lake outside of schools, this boulder park is a testament to a tightly knit community coming together to create something truly exceptional for their youngsters.

About 70 businesses and families pooled their resources to bring this boulder park to life. The driving force behind it—the Rotary Club of Williams Lake Daybreak, led by its president Andrew Sandberg.

“I had a vision of doing a new playground in Williams Lake. Being born and raised here myself and having kids of my own, I wanted to give them more than what I had growing up here. The one park we have is consistently packed,” explains Sandberg.

After receiving the approval from the city council to build a boulder park in February 2022, the club put on its working hat to find funding for the playground. It took approximately 10 months to reach the target budget of C$130,000. But the fundraising process served to further strengthen the sense of community, as both funds and volunteers readily stepped forward to contribute to the project.

“People were really excited about the idea. They wanted to see something new come to the community, and cheques just started coming in. It’s very overwhelming to see the support from our local community,” Sandberg proudly says.

Enbridge was one of the silver sponsors that donated $5,000 to build the playground. The grant is part of our Fueling Futures program, reaffirming our commitment to fostering vibrant communities where we live and work.

“This new boulder park serves as a symbol and an inspiration that we can build something meaningful by working together,” says Dean Freeman, BC Pipeline field operations director with Enbridge.

“This also reminds us not to wait for things to happen. When there’s a need, we must look within ourselves and ask, ‘What can I do to help?’ And that’s precisely what the people of Williams Lake have done!”

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