Crowdfunding campaign launched for Kids’ Place Playground Enhancement in Bangor

$27,675 goal to win matching grant through MEDC’s Public Spaces Community Places initiative

LANSING, Mich. – Kids’ Place Park in downtown Bangor will soon be home to a new inclusive play space through a crowdfunding campaign, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and city of Bangor announced today. The campaign is being offered through Michigan-based crowdfunding platform Patronicity.

If the campaign reaches its crowdfunding goal of $27,675 by November 30, the project will win a matching grant with funds made possible by MEDC’s Public Spaces Community Places program. For project details and to donate, please visit: patronicity.com/bangor.

“Inclusive placemaking is at the forefront of development initiatives right now, and this park is a great example of that,” said MEDC Senior Vice President of Community Development Katharine Czarnecki. “We are pleased to provide resources for this effort through our Public Spaces Community Places program.”

The crowdfunding campaign will replace an old, dilapidated playground with an inclusive play space for all community members to gather in and enjoy. The funds raised will support the removal of the old and broken equipment and installation of several pieces of new fully accessible playground equipment. The project will also create additional parking, build perimeter fencing, lay rubber mulch, and build out a new picnic space and shaded place for adults to gather.

“When we acquired the bids for the improvements to the Kids’ Place playground, we knew the cost was out of reach for the community,” said Regina Hoover, City Manager for Bangor. “The Public Spaces Community Places program provided the answer to the funding dilemma. Fundraising for half the needed money is a doable task and the community is now eager for this to begin.”

Public Spaces Community Places is a collaborative effort of the MEDC, the Michigan Municipal League, and Patronicity, in which local residents can use crowdfunding to be part of the development of strategic projects in their communities and be backed with a matching grant from MEDC. Communities, nonprofits and other business entities can apply at https://patronicity.com/puremichigan.

“Creating accessible public spaces is key to great placemaking,” said Dan Gilmartin, CEO and executive director of the Michigan Municipal League. “Transforming Kids’ Place Park into a place that people of all ages and abilities can enjoy will be a true benefit to the community.”  

The Public Spaces Community Places initiative started in 2014 with MEDC providing matched funding of up to $50,000 for community improvement projects throughout Michigan. As of September 2018, MEDC has provided $5,403,166 in matching grants. Since the launch of the program, 179 projects have been successful in reaching their goal, with $6.4 million raised from 32,261 individual donors.

About Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is the state’s marketing arm and lead advocate for business development, job awareness and community development with the focus on growing Michigan’s economy. For more information on the MEDC and our initiatives, visit www.MichiganBusiness.org. For Pure Michigan® tourism information, your trip begins at www.michigan.org. Join the conversation on: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn, and Twitter.