Timber Mill Park has been enhanced with new ways for children to learn while playing thanks to a united effort between regional leaders – and a whole lot of help from local volunteers.
United Way of Northeastern Minnesota (UWNEMN)’s first Born Learning Trail in its service area (Iron Range, Koochiching County, and Lake of the Woods County) was installed at Timber Mill Park last month. The trail – a series of 10 interactive signs that transform everyday moments into fun and engaging learning opportunities for young children – is a well-proven community engagement and improvement tool for United Way organizations nationwide, but this is the first to be installed in our region.
“Every United Way organization is independently and locally operated,” said UWNEMN Resource Development and Events Director Elizabeth Kelly. “While we all work to help people and communities thrive, the approach looks is different for each United Way because our work is a reflection of the communities we serve.”
The Timber Mill Park Born Learning Trail was made possible thanks to support from the City of Baudette with the help of volunteers of all ages. Signs were purchased with funding from LakeWood Regional Healthcare Foundation.
“This initiative perfectly aligns with our mission of providing engaging and healthy learning opportunities for children and families within our community,” said Foundation President Jeff Stampohar at a recent ribbon cutting. “We are confident that this trail will serve as a valuable resource for years to come.”
The trail is the first of many UWNEMN hopes to install throughout its service area. UWNEMN Volunteer and Engagement Coordinator Emily Unhjem said the project could not have gone better.
“We are so grateful for the creativity and energy everyone brought to this special community project,” she said.
In addition to the Born Learning Trail, local donations to UWNEMN make it possible for the organization to provide funding to Lake of the Woods County non-profits like the Lake of the Woods Food Shelf, Lake of the Woods Public Library, and Friends Against Abuse and provide programming like Imagination Library, Comforts of Home, and United for Veterans.