The Kiwanis Community Playground is our gift to the community. Built in 2009, it is located at Tracy Park in Portsmouth, Ohio.
Tracy Park is a beloved community gathering space where people of all ages come to relax and enjoy outdoor activities in the heart of the city.
Check out the YouTube video below to see the photos from the original construction of the playground.
We recently made our playground even better with the addition of ADA playground equipment.
This makes what we do all worthwhile! Elisha Duncan, 12, takes a turn on our new ADA swing. She is the daughter of Kimberly O’Madden, General Manager of FC Daehler Mortuary, a Diamond Donor for our new ADA additions to our Kiwanis Playground in Tracy Park.
Our playground formerly lacked adequate equipment for children with special needs, limiting their ability to participate fully in the park’s offerings. In early 2024, the club raised funds to purchase and install ADA-compliant swings to create a play area that can be used by all children. The Kiwanis Children’s Fund awarded a $12,000 grant to the Kiwanis Club of Portsmouth to support these improvements, and several organizations and individuals in our community also supported this project.
The Kiwanis Club of Portsmouth held a ribbon cutting on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, for our new ADA addition to make it accessible to children with disabilities! Thanks so much to our ADA Playground Committee Chair Misty Simco and our committee members (pictured above from left): Todd Medley, Dan DeLotell, Bill Ogg, Misty Simco, Kiwanis President Jamie Colley, Sharon Carver, and KC Rase. Autumn Dowdy is not pictured.
Special thanks to the following donors who made this playground addition possible:
Our guest speaker this week was Tammy Moore Morton, Director of the Scioto County Job & Family Services office. She spoke about elder abuse, which impacts individuals aged 60 or older. Our local office receives more than 30 referrals every month. Sadly, much of this abuse occurs at the hands of family members.
Exploitation is the #1 type of elderly abuse, followed by self-neglect, neglect, and physical abuse. Women are victims more often than men, and older adults without family or friends nearby are often exploited, as well as people with dementia. Fire is also a risk, as many fatal fires in the state are caused by people smoking while they are on oxygen. A simple $4 thermal fuse coupling that will fit on the hose and turn off the oxygen is a lifesaver for these individuals.
June 15 is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. SCDJFS will be participating in this day by wearing PURPLE on Friday, June 13, to bring awareness to the challenges that this vulnerable population faces. What can you do? Observe, listen, and check on your elderly family and neighbors. Report suspected abuse, neglect, and exploitation by calling 1-855-Ohio-APS or 1-855-644-6277.
In other news: - The department's five child support investigators collected $8.3 million for kids in Scioto County in 2024, and August is Child Support Awareness Month. - JFS is working with Community Action on the Dads Matter program, a fatherhood initiative. - In April, JFS was providing public assistance (cash, food, and medical support) to 17,251 people in the county. There were nearly 30,000 Medicaid recipients and 711 cash assistance recipients. The criteria for cash assistance are stronger, and recipients can only receive it now for a total of 36 months. - Our county JFS won a Top award from the state. They have a 95% response rate to SNAP requests (higher than the state average), and their fraud department has recovered over $100,000 over the past year for fraudulent use of SNAP cards. -- There are currently 223 children in custody, nearly a 50% decrease from when JFS took over Children Services three years ago. However, placement costs are astronomical, especially for special needs children. - JFS is working with eight other counties in Southeast Ohio to establish a wellness campus in Gallia County, a 16-bed facility where children can go for short-term stays. - JFS is working with Community Action to establish a child advocacy center where abuse cases can be discussed and investigated in a safe space, and supervised visitation will be provided.
Kiwanis Playground
The Kiwanis Community Playground is our gift to the community.
Built in 2009, it is located at Tracy Park in Portsmouth, Ohio.
Tracy Park is a beloved community gathering space where people
of all ages come to relax and enjoy outdoor activities in the heart of the city.
Check out the YouTube video below to see the photos
from the original construction of the playground.
We recently made our playground even better
with the addition of ADA playground equipment.
This makes what we do all worthwhile! Elisha Duncan, 12, takes a turn on our new ADA swing. She is the daughter of Kimberly O’Madden, General Manager of FC Daehler Mortuary, a Diamond Donor for our new ADA additions to our Kiwanis Playground in Tracy Park.
Our playground formerly lacked adequate equipment for children with special needs, limiting their ability to participate fully in the park’s offerings. In early 2024, the club raised funds to purchase and install ADA-compliant swings to create a play area that can be used by all children. The Kiwanis Children’s Fund awarded a $12,000 grant to the Kiwanis Club of Portsmouth to support these improvements, and several organizations and individuals in our community also supported this project.
The Kiwanis Club of Portsmouth held a ribbon cutting on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, for our new ADA addition to make it accessible to children with disabilities! Thanks so much to our ADA Playground Committee Chair Misty Simco and our committee members (pictured above from left): Todd Medley, Dan DeLotell, Bill Ogg, Misty Simco, Kiwanis President Jamie Colley, Sharon Carver, and KC Rase. Autumn Dowdy is not pictured.
Special thanks to the following donors who made this playground addition possible:
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Our guest speaker this week was Tammy Moore Morton, Director of the Scioto County Job & Family Services office. She spoke about elder abuse, which impacts individuals aged 60 or older. Our local office receives more than 30 referrals every month. Sadly, much of this abuse occurs at the hands of family members.
Exploitation is the #1 type of elderly abuse, followed by self-neglect, neglect, and physical abuse. Women are victims more often than men, and older adults without family or friends nearby are often exploited, as well as people with dementia. Fire is also a risk, as many fatal fires in the state are caused by people smoking while they are on oxygen. A simple $4 thermal fuse coupling that will fit on the hose and turn off the oxygen is a lifesaver for these individuals.
June 15 is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. SCDJFS will be participating in this day by wearing PURPLE on Friday, June 13, to bring awareness to the challenges that this vulnerable population faces. What can you do? Observe, listen, and check on your elderly family and neighbors. Report suspected abuse, neglect, and exploitation by calling 1-855-Ohio-APS or 1-855-644-6277.
In other news:
- The department's five child support investigators collected $8.3 million for kids in Scioto County in 2024, and August is Child Support Awareness Month.
- JFS is working with Community Action on the Dads Matter program, a fatherhood initiative.
- In April, JFS was providing public assistance (cash, food, and medical support) to 17,251 people in the county. There were nearly 30,000 Medicaid recipients and 711 cash assistance recipients. The criteria for cash assistance are stronger, and recipients can only receive it now for a total of 36 months.
- Our county JFS won a Top award from the state. They have a 95% response rate to SNAP requests (higher than the state average), and their fraud department has recovered over $100,000 over the past year for fraudulent use of SNAP cards.
-- There are currently 223 children in custody, nearly a 50% decrease from when JFS took over Children Services three years ago. However, placement costs are astronomical, especially for special needs children.
- JFS is working with eight other counties in Southeast Ohio to establish a wellness campus in Gallia County, a 16-bed facility where children can go for short-term stays.
- JFS is working with Community Action to establish a child advocacy center where abuse cases can be discussed and investigated in a safe space, and supervised visitation will be provided.
Stay updated on Scioto County JFS online at www.sciotocountyjfs.com/ or follow them on Facebook-- Scioto County Job & Family Services. ... See MoreSee Less
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