I CARE to offer expanded program

In case of rain, playgrounds have partnered with nearby organizations.

By VIRGINIA ROSS

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

NEW CASTLE, Pa. — Area children won’t have far to go to find some fun this summer.

The I CARE House will offer its Summer in the Parks program for children entering grades one through six. The program begins Monday. Hours are 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. weekdays at four city playgrounds and the I CARE House and playground on Court Street.

Activities include crafts, sports and lessons in math, science, reading and art. Weekly family night activities are also being planned.

“What’s new about the program this year is that we’ve expanded it to several neighborhood parks throughout the city, making it easier for children to participate,” said Laurie Daugherty of the I CARE House. “They can go to any of the parks they want, but if travel is an issue, they can stay right in their own neighborhood.”

Families can register their children at their neighborhood parks Saturday or at the I CARE House throughout the week. A $2 weekly registration fee is required.

The program is made possible by a $23,850 grant through the Lawrence County commissioners and a $5,000 donation from McKesson Pharmaceutical Co. for supplies. Additional funding is being sought for field trips.

Partnerships

Each playground has partnered with a nearby organization so programs will continue in the event of rain, Daugherty said.

Partnerships feature Big Run, located on Long Avenue, with Walker Neighborhood House; Bell Avenue playground with Second Baptist Church; Park Avenue playground with the Scottish Rite Cathedral; Darlington Park, Mahoningtown, with Church of Genesis; and I CARE House and playground on Court Street.

Daily bagged lunches will be provided for participants through a partnership with the New Castle Area School District and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

AmeriCorps workers, most of them Slippery Rock University students who are planning to become teachers, will be the park supervisors. Also partnering with the program are Adagio Health, the city of New Castle, Lawrence County Drug and Alcohol, the American Red Cross, the New Castle Public Library, the state Game Commission, the Girl Scouts of Beaver and Lawrence County, the Lawrence County Historical Society, the New Castle police department and Slippery Rock University.

For more information on the program, contact the I CARE House at (724) 658-8873.