Rocky Point Playground Project

In 2021, our family moved into the Rocky Point neighbourhood of North Nanaimo. It quickly became apparent that this community had no public play spaces for children other than the local school playground, which is ageing and inappropriate for children under age 5. Young families in this neighbourhood have nowhere to play, gather, and build community. In the age of childhood obesity and excessive screen time, it is more important than ever to have these walkable community spaces for children and families to gather and engage in physical activity.

In the last 5 years, more and more families have started moving into this community and thus the need for such a play space has grown. Our vision for this project is to create an engaging toddler-friendly play space that will also serve as a gathering place for community events and initiatives to bring the families of Rocky Point neighbourhood in Nanaimo together. This will be a space that families can walk and bike to, creating active transportation opportunities.

In consultation with the City of Nanaimo and Habitat Systems Inc., we have chosen to place the playground on an underutilized gravel parking lot outside a large local sports field, Harry Wipper Field. The play space will incorporate a large climber with slides and a tunnel, an accessible friendship swing, and several standalone play features, including mushroom climbers, a climbing cave, and a bear rocker. Shade trees will be planted around the playground as well as benches for resting.

We’d like to also include a picnic area for families to socialize and build lasting bonds with neighbours. This will be a space where we can host neighbourhood parties and broader community programs, such as the City of Nanaimo’s summer playground program.

The playground will also serve as the starting point for additional initiatives, such as a community garden, bat boxes, and perhaps even a public art project.

Our fundraising target for this project is approximately $150,000.

We have raised over $100,000 through community fundraising, a $50,000 grant from the City of Nanaimo, and corporate sponsorships. Our community fundraising has totaled $10,000 and included a community garage sale, Burger Night and Silent Auction, Sign Painting Night, wildflower seed fundraisers, Purdy's chocolates fundraiser, and Christmas caroling.

Please help us reach our goal by donating to our cause! You can donate by Go Fund Me or larger donations can receive a tax receipt by writing a cheque to the City of Nanaimo and identifying the funds donated as a contribution to the PIP account for Rocky Point Playground.