Play equipment donated to church
CALLERY — A casual day of perusing garage sales, plus the generosity of an anonymous couple has resulted in a safe place for families here to gather.
The Rev. Bob Goosen, the pastor of Crestview United Presbyterian Church, said church leaders had been mulling the idea of adding some public play equipment to the church grounds, but lacked the money needed to carry out the project.
Goosen said in the summer, a couple of church members were enjoying a day visiting garage sales when they happened upon an elaborate backyard play set for sale.
“They told the guy 'We're from a church in Callery, and we're talking about setting up a playground for kids in the community, but we're not there yet (financially,)'” Goosen said.
Unable to afford the set, the church members moved on. A few days later, Goosen received a call from the homeowner stating he wanted to donate the play set.
The set includes three swings, a climbing wall, play deck, slide and rope ladder.
“It's not just a gift for our church, it's a gift for our community,” Goosen said.
The church partnered with the Callery Volunteer Fire Department in the project, and the two groups worked together to disassemble the set, transport it to the church in a fire department vehicle, sand, paint and reassemble it.
Crystal Huffman, a lifelong Callery resident whose entire family is involved in the fire department, coordinated the effort on the department's end.
Her grandfather made a memorial donation to the church in the name of her late mother, Patty Jones Spithaler, to pay for the refurbishment of the play set and the required ground preparation.
Another memorial donation to the church in the name of Abbie Brynda helped as well.
“Anything to keep our community together, and to give our kids a place to play,” Huffman said of the project.
Goosen said the installation of the play set near the basketball court by the church parking lot coincides with the church's effort to become more involved in the community.
“We look at it as a place where families from Callery can come and play and meet safely together,” he said.
Council President Ed Conway said council is delighted with the joint effort between the church and fire department and the resulting play equipment.
“The council will be doing everything we can to help them with this project,” Conway said. “It will help the kids to centralize somewhere that is safe.”
He said he hopes to see lots of the small borough's youngest residents using the play equipment.
“It'll be a nice location for the kids,” Conway said.
