International Center playground underway
Workers have begun building a small playground at the International Center of Kentucky, Bowling Green’s resettlement agency – an area expected to serve more than 400 refugee children.
On Thursday morning, five employees from the local Lowe’s Home Improvement and 23 from the International Center set mulch in a small space behind the center offices, laying the foundation for numerous features to come. Lowe’s Assistant Store Manager Steven Wilson said employees will install a basketball goal, and other aspects of the playground are being planned.
Wilson said he’s planning a playground “nice and neat, clean, safe for the immigrants that do live here – something inviting for the community and playful, a family atmosphere.” It’s one of 100 community projects this year funded by a grant from the Lowe’s Hometowns program, a three-year, $100 million commitment made by the company in 2022.
The International Center purchased a slide mountain playground structure, lilypad cymbals, a merry-go-round, arch swings, monkeybars, a seesaw and a static play vehicle, according to International Center Chief Financial Officer Cathy Palmer.
“By having a modern playground like this, it is helpful for them to acclimate themselves with what they will experience when they go to school, because these are the same kinds of equipment they will find in school during recess and recreation,” International Center Executive Director Albert Mbanfu said.
“By that time, they will be used to that since they’ve already enjoyed that at the International Center.”
It’ll serve refugees Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Mbanfu said. It’ll be open to the public outside those hours; parents will need to take responsibility for their children, as there won’t be someone to supervise them, Mbanfu added.
Palmer said the International Center aims to finish by Nov. 31, and Mbanfu said the playground should be completed before January.
Wilson, a father of two, expressed care for children at the center.
“To give back, like how we are today, and to show them that we care, and they’re invited to the community – this is a really big deal to us,” he said.