I.C.A.R.E. – Intergenerational Clearinghouse and Resource Educational Center – is a group that works to build positive relationships between youth and older adults in the community; whether it’s through tea parties, reading with the elderly, encouraging high school to interview war Veterans or simply experiencing some of the many quirks of getting older through hands-on education.
The group is now focused on bringing fitness and family together at the Fifth Street park in Junction City through their Exercise Equipment Project.
Harold Macumber, ICARE Board President, said that studies show more grandparents, rather than parents are now taking kids to the park.
“Well instead of sitting on a bench, they can be on [the] exercise equipment while the grandkids are playing at the park,” said Macumber.
Board Secretary Penny Macumber said that this effort is not in conjunction with the Quality Play for All group, but there interests parallel one another.
“If they’re going to make Fifth Street Playground Park look so beautiful, we want our addition that we’re putting in to coordinate and look nice as well; so we’ve been working with the Quality Play for All group, but we are not sharing funds or anything else, we’re just trying to work them and promote each other,” said P. Macumber.
The Exercise Equipment Project will consist of five to six pieces of exercise equipment, for basic muscular building, and will cost approximately $40,000. The base of the exercise area will be concrete as to make it wheelchair and handicap accessible.
A Marco’s Pizza fundraiser event is the first of many planned fundraisers to bring the project to life. The fundraiser begins at 11:00 am on Friday, May 19th – the night before high school graduation – a perfect time to grab some pizzas, according to H. Macumber.
“We’re hoping people will go out and order your pizzas for graduation, since it’s the night before graduation…and we want everybody to order their pizzas from Marco’s and help us fundraise.”
Fifteen percent of all sales between 11:00 am and midnight on Friday, May 20th benefit the ICARE Exercise Equipment Project in Fifth Street Park. Modern Woodmen of America have agreed to match all proceeds from Marco’s up to $2500.