A stage for playing - December 22, 2004

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)

2005-01-27

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41 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, January 27, 2005   Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery   SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries   Life   Opinion - Politics   Tempo   AP News   Weather   Classified   Archives   Site Map   SPECIAL SECTIONS   Since We Asked   Outdoor Journal   Menu Guide   How To Guide   Wellness Connection   Readers' Choice   Real Estate Showcase   Real Estate Guide   Joy Magazine   Homelife Magazine   Wedding Guide   Passport to the Rogue Valley   EXTRA   Newspaper in Education   Personals   Movie Times   TV Times   E The People   Volunteer Opportunities   Moving to Southern Oregon?   MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad  eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities   Entertainment   Publications   Recreation   Calendar   CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit   Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 22, 2004 Kaleb Gorrin, 8, of Murphy, swings on new playground equipment at the Talent Boys & Girls Club on Monday. A donation from Boise Building Solutions in Medford helped make the playground possible. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven A stage for playing Donation leads to kid-friendly enhancements at Boys and Girls Clubs By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune The concrete’s barely dry and the ground is still muddy, but that didn’t stop a dozen kids from trying out the new play structure Monday at the local Boys and Girls Club site in Talent. "Can these shake? Will they fall down?" asked Talon Eldridge-Smith, 7, as he scaled one of three climbing poles and wiggled vigorously. "Whoo-hoo!" Elsewhere, kids large and small jumped, slid and scrambled as they explored the brightly colored Krauss Craft structure, part of a nearly $100,000 donation by Boise Building Solutions of Medford. "It will make an extreme difference," said Emily Bartow, unit director for the Talent Boys and Girls Club. "It’ll be another option of a play area for us." Staff members will be able to watch kids on-site at 309 W. Main St., instead of walking over to nearby Talent Elementary School. Advertisement Boise donated $50,000 in cash and more than $25,000 in in-kind services to the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Rogue Valley, said Dick Hanlin, the agency’s director. In addition to the Talent play structure, the gift will pay for similar play equipment in White City and for interior renovations and exterior improvements at both Jackson County sites. "It’s gonna be pretty cool for kids," said Hanlin, whose agency now enrolls about 400 children apiece in Talent and White City. The donation from Boise represents a small piece of the local Boys and Girls Clubs’ annual $1.2 million budget. But it also represents a big commitment from the local business community to supporting area kids, Hanlin said. The play structures at both sites are manufactured by Krauss Craft Inc. of Grants Pass. Other improvements in Talent include new carpet, new paint and remodeling to improve an entryway and create a new technology room. Outside, there’s a newly paved parking lot, sidewalks, a chain-link fence, new drainage and a retaining wall. Soon to come will be a new basketball hoop. In White City, improvements will feature a new doorway and window, and renovated landscaping as well as the 60-by-30-foot Krauss Craft structure. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News  | Sports  | Business  | Obituaries  | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives  |  Site Map   E Southern Oregon  | Classified   Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback   ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers