Poplar Hill Lions Club reaches $80,000 fundraising goal for wheelchair accessible swing

Members of the Poplar Hill and District Lions Club, and families with children in wheelchairs, are fundraising for a wheelchair-accessible swing for the park in Poplar Hill, Ont. just northwest of London, Ont. (Brent Lale/CTV News London)

With a dream of bringing a wheelchair-accessible swing to Poplar Hill, Rick Castle started collecting bottles and cans.

In less than two years, the Lions Club member has managed to pull off the improbable by raising the $80,000 needed.

“I think I’m going to start crying,’ said Castle. “When it first started, maybe half of the club were for it and half were against it - but as it started to go, people got behind it and the snowball got bigger and bigger and eventually we got to where we had to be.”

Between bottles and cans, a barbecue, and an online fundraiser, the Lions managed to get around $55,000. The Municipality of Thames Centre has agreed to put them over the top.

“It went to the Budget Committee, and it has been accounted for in the budget,” said Aina DeViet, Mayor of Thames Centre.

“Giving everyone a chance to participate is totally welcome. This kind of work is really deeply appreciated and it's hard to measure the value of that.”

Castle’s sister and fellow Lions Member Shirley Livingston said the swing has already been ordered.

“It is in production, and they actually let us pick the colours,” said Livingston. “We're going with our Lions’ colors which are yellow and purple. It'll be transported over here to Canada, and it'll be housed in a warehouse here until the spring. They'll wait for the cement to be put in, and then they'll come and put it down”.

For families like the McIntosh’s from Ilderton, this accessible swing will be life changing.

In a wheelchair with cerebral palsy (CP) and a global delay, Olivia McIntosh, 17, needs at least two people to help lift her and get her seated.

Olivia McIntosh, 17, of Ilderton, Ont. loves to swing, but needs help from her wheelchair into a regular swing. (Brent Lale/CTV News London)

“Olivia is 17 but in her mind she's about two years old,” Ashley McIntosh, Olivia’s mother told CTV News while at the park in the spring.

“Once they turn like 12, people usually forget about them because they don't look like the kids anymore, but our little ones still want to play.”

Katherine Doxtator also lives within driving distance and would like to be able to wheel her chair into the swing.

“Usually when we come to events, we sit and watch everybody else play on the swings or on the equipment,” said Leslie-Anne Steeper-Doxtator.

“For us to get her into one of the swings over here, we would have to lift her in. And that means we have to have a number of people, like at least two to three. And that always isn't possible.”

Now that the swing has been ordered, the next steps will be making sure Poplar Hill Park is fully accessible.

“We have to pave for the parking lot so there can be a place where an accessible van or a vehicle that's carrying a child, can get them out of the car and they can roll them or help them with a walker,” said DeViet.

Duncan McIntosh lifts his daughter Olivia, 17, into a swing at the park in Poplar Hill, Ont. on May 11, 2024. She loves to swing, but with cerebral palsy and a global delay, she can’t get in by herself. (Brent Lale/CTV News London)

“This is only the beginning but those are priorities, too, because you can't just put something down and leave it.”

Livingston said they have more people willing to help.

“We plan on doing paved walkways through the park to bring you to the playground,” shared Livingston. “We have one Lions member who is donating the concrete. It has to have a concrete base, so that is the first thing that has to happen there.”

It took less than two years for the Lions Club to pull this off.

“The community got behind us,” said Livingston. “Other Lions Clubs, the Optimists, churches, businesses and people that had somebody in their family with a wheelchair. Suddenly, these cheques just started flying in. It's just been incredible.”

Her brother always believed it could happen.

“That mountain can be really high, but once you start climbing it, you get to the top, it's a nice easy down,” said Castle.

The Poplar Hill Lions, whose ‘Hillbilly float’ can be seen in area Christmas parades, are relentless fundraisers for their community.

“The work they do is immeasurable, and they just don't stop,” said DeViet.

“One project after another, they have a history of working for the community and being part of the community. This is just in their bones and marrow.”

Mayor DeViet said adding the $25,000 to put this project over the top was an easy decision.

“Sometimes you have to explain to people why you're doing diversity, inclusion or equity projects,” she said. “Everyone is welcome, and everyone needs to participate to the best of their ability. They (the Poplar Hill Lions) are making sure that everybody can do that.”