As the Town of Blind River marks its 120th anniversary, members of the Blind River Anglican Church Women (ACW), along with other community volunteers, are helping ensure the milestone leaves a gift that families will enjoy for generations to come.
The Town of Blind River recently recognized the ACW’s contribution toward new children’s playground features at Sellers Beach. The project will include a swing set, a log birling activity, and a historical engagement panel celebrating the community’s rich lumber heritage.
For decades, the Blind River ACW has raised funds through two cherished annual community events—its Christmas Tea and Strawberry Tea. When it came time to decide how those funds should be invested, the women carefully researched several possibilities before selecting the Sellers Beach project.
“We checked out a number of possibilities and felt the funds would have the greatest impact in the local neighbourhood and throughout the town, reaching the most children if provided to the park project,” said Yvonne Plant, who has been a member of the Blind River ACW for more than 60 years.
Plant said the project’s accessibility and broad community reach made it the clear choice. “There are a number of daycares and a children’s resource centre close by which will have easy access to the park. The town project seemed to have the broadest impact, kept the money local and will service children and families throughout the town and those passing through.”
She also pointed to the location as one that will serve families well beyond the summer months. “The immediate area also includes a beautiful sandy beach that is easy to access for those that are unable to get out of town for a summer vacation, and now it will have a play area for those who don’t want to swim and for when the swimming season changes, making the park more of an all-seasons park.”
The project will also celebrate Blind River’s history through a log birling feature accompanied by interpretive signage explaining the importance of the activity to the town’s lumbering heritage. “Blind River was once home to the largest white pine lumber mill this side of the Rocky Mountains,” Plant said.
For the Ven. Roberta Wilson-Garrett, Archdeacon of the Deanery of Algoma and clergy support to the local ACW, the project is also a visible reminder that the Anglican Church continues to serve the community in meaningful ways.
“It has also been another way to remind the community that there is still a strong Anglican presence and ministry in the community,” she said. “Even after the church, St. Saviour’s, closed a number of years ago due to increasing expenses and declining numbers, I am proud not only as Deanery Archdeacon but as a member of this local ACW to be an example to other communities that you don’t necessarily have to have a church building to carry on the work of Christ.”
The Town publicly thanked the Anglican Church Ladies for their generosity, noting that, together with support from PUC Services Inc., RBC, ELNOS, the Timber Village Museum, and the Town of Blind River, the project will provide “sustainable fun for locals, daycares, and tourists for decades to come.”
A ribbon-cutting ceremony with all funding partners is expected to take place in September.
Photo caption: Pictured (left to right) are Lorraine Graham, Yvonne Plant, Joan Horton, Debbie Shamas, Brennda Bouchard, and Marie Kirchmeir.