In May 2024, we sat in a city council meeting as parents -hopeful that our council would say yes to a safe space for our children. But the vote didn’t go our way. The council said no to new park equipment, and with that, no to something our kids no longer had: a place just for them.

We left that meeting with more questions than answers.
Why aren't our kids seen as worthy of investment?
Why isn't their safety a priority?
Why isn’t joy, play, and childhood protected here?

That moment lit a fire in us.

We weren’t just fighting for swings and slides - we were standing up for the kids of Oyens. Their voices, their dreams, their right to be heard.

So we formed the Oyens Community Development Committee, led by parents and driven by purpose. We sat down with the kids and asked them what they wanted in a park. We imagined more than just equipment—we envisioned a community that felt alive again.

As we waited for our nonprofit status, we didn’t sit still. We got to know our neighbors, swapped tomatoes and banana bread, pulled weeds, and painted fire lines. We started rebuilding the soul of this town, one small act at a time.

Now that our nonprofit is official, we're asking for your help - not just to build a park, but to build a future where our kids know their voices matter.

Because this isn't just about a playground.
It’s about showing our children that when something isn’t right, we do something about it.

Let’s give them the park, and the future, they deserve.