Rock Springs Area Local Board Grantmaking
The Dellas and Dorothy Larsen Fund
This story is from our Spring 2023 newsletter. See the full newsletter here!
Bunning Park is the place to be in Rock Springs on Wednesday evenings in the summer. City hosted “Concerts in the Park” bring community members out for an evening of music and fun. A grant from the WYCF Rock Springs Area Local Board treated our musicians and concertgoers alike to a new setup in 2022.
Bunning Park’s playground was once next to the bandshell. In previous summers, sounds of children playing on aging playground equipment clashed with music from the bandshell.
Letty Schoenfeld, daughter of local board member Lauren, enjoys the new playground at Bunning Park.
John “JJ” Syvrud, of the Rock Springs Parks & Recreation Department, knew there was a way to make park activities better for all. Thanks to WYCF funding, the city relocated and built a new playground and made improvements for more communitywide activities.
The project went beyond simply moving an old playground. “The equipment was getting old and outdated, but in an already stretched city budget, new playground equipment was, unfortunately, low on the priority list,” says JJ. “I don’t think these projects would have been completed without the help of the foundation.”
JJ credits Rock Springs Area Local Board member, Paula Wonnacott for her help and guidance.
Kids play on the newly added & repaired inflatables at the Rock Springs Civics Center.
“Our local board is there to help fill needs in the community and encourage organizations to apply for funding through WYCF,” explains Paula. “For that reason, I encouraged JJ to apply. We (the board) were also allowed to recommend indoor equipment for year-round play.”
“What we hope,” Paula says, “Is that someone reading about the playground, experiencing it with their grandchildren, and thinking about a lasting legacy for the community, will be inspired to ask their personal financial advisor about the opportunities provided by the Wyoming Community Foundation.”