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Friday, April 19, 2024
The cooler weather may have taken a while to arrive, but it’s finally time to enjoy autumn outside!
Want your kiddo to develop a love for being outside while exploring our world-class parks system? Drop off your child at Liberty Park at Sheltonwood on Saturday, October 15, at 10:00 AM!
We know it can be hard to get kids excited about being outside. Our staff planned a sensational day of games and activities to keep your kiddos engaged, entertained, and safe! Lunch is included with your registration!
A life-long appreciation of the great outdoors and the importance of beautiful public park systems starts early, so don’t wait to register for this exciting program!
See you at the Park! Register today!
We love our Southlake parks for providing us with beautiful open spaces to get outside and get in tune with nature, but did you know that there are multiple benefits of playing outside for kids?
Indeed, playing outside leads to improved overall health, greater self-awareness, appreciation for the environment, and enhanced relationships with other children.
Outdoor play demands higher levels of creativity and imagination. As a result, children learn communication skills and learn how to build relationships with other kids. Moreover, no one can deny that being outside and catching some Vitamin D can turn any day from good to great!
If you’re ready to get in on the benefits of playing outside, mark your calendars because PLAY at the Park is coming up on February 27! Drop-off your child at Bicentennial Park for a day of exciting Pokémon-themed games and activities. Lunch will be provided and a fun time of catching them all is guaranteed!
PLAY at the Park will be offered on the fourth Saturday of the month during Spring, and structured activities will take place at various Southlake parks!
Check out our incredible schedule and terrific themes:
Don’t miss out on the chance for your child to explore the great outdoors and reap the benefits that our parks have to offer. Click here to register!
The City of Southlake’s 2030 Parks, Recreation & Open Space/Community Facilities Master Plan includes design and installation of a new playground and shade structure at the Bob Jones Park soccer fields. After ten fun years of play, the current playground is closed. Demolition began on Monday, June 18, 2018 to begin the exciting makeover of the playground.
On December 12, 2017, the City Council approved the purchase of the playground equipment and pavilion with Play & Park Structures. The City was the recipient of the “Community Heroes” grant from Play & Park Structures in the amount of $110,000, which will offset the cost of playground equipment.
The new playground will feature dedicated play areas for 2-5 year olds and 5-12 year olds, separate bays of swings and several single play elements. There will be opportunities for kids to climb, swing, balance, spin and slide on the equipment. There will be fabric shade structures covering the three main play areas to provide a safe space for play in the shade. In addition to the new playground, a larger pavilion will be installed. The pavilion will be the perfect place to rent for your next party as it includes a great place to gather in the shade and features several new amenities.
Completion of the project is anticipated for late July. We appreciate your patience during this time and hope to see you out at the new playground soon. If you have any questions, please contact Community Services at (817) 748-8019.
Play It Forward Southlake and Play It Forward Keller teamed up for a great cause last week. Both groups collected and donated used baseball equipment to William Lipscomb Elemetary School in Dallas. All the baseball bats, gloves, ball and equipment helped outfit three youth baseball teams need of supplies with hundreds of items. Led by Carroll student athletes Mack Morgan, Preston LeJeune, Alex Johnston and Kenny Hill, Play It Forward Southlake was created to help Metroplex sports organizations in need of sports equipment. Donations can be made to Old Union Elementary during the school year.
Play It Forward Southlake members Mack Morgan, Preston LeJeune and Alex Johnston (left to right) donated baseball equipment to the Miracle League of Arlington, coming to the rescue for the players including fellow CISD student Jacob Leddy.
Mack Morgan, Preston LeJeune and Kenny Hill are truly game changers in Southlake.
These Dragon student athletes are making the biggest impact of all, not with their respective sports team, but with the work they’re doing to impact those in need. The Dragon trio founded Play It Forward Southlake, a group of student athletes aiding the equipment needs of athletic organizations across the Metroplex. From Mesquite to Arlington and Fort Worth and in its own community, Play It Forward Southlake is pumping new excitement into sports groups.
Play It Forward Southlake collects new and gently-used sports equipment, refurbishes and then distributes to organizations, teams, clubs and individuals in financial need. The experience for these Dragons spearheading the program is showing the servant-hearted spirit of students dedicated to helping others. The non-profit organization, which began in 2010, hopes to leave a legacy for future students.
The idea for Play It Forward Southlake came about after Morgan and LeJeune joined a trip with fellow friends who started Play It Forward Keller. After seeing the impact of donating equipment to Safe Haven in Arlington, Morgan and LeJeune were changed by the experience and started the Southlake group with Kenny Hill.”
“The delivery that made the biggest impact on me was the time Mack and I joined the Keller PIF (Play It Forward) guys at Safe Haven,” LeJeune said. “All of the kids were just amazed that it was their equipment to keep. Most of them had never had much in the way of equipment that just belonged to them.”
Last year, Play It Forward Southlake may have made its biggest impact. The Miracle League of Arlington, a baseball league for children with disabilities, was in need of baseball equipment. The field house for the league’s equipment burned and all the bats, gloves, baseballs and everything was lost. With the combination of Play It Forward Keller and the Pro Players Foundation, a donation drive helped replenish all the lost equipment. The groups collected two trailers full of equipment. The sadness of the lost bats and other items was replaced by an overflowing of generosity.
“Sometimes, I think we get more out of it than the folks in need,” Morgan said.
The impact of helping others is the game changer. Morgan and his fellow classmates see that. They have recruited student athletes Alex Johnston, Cam Manning and Bryce Wasserman to join them. Play It Forward Southlake has donated equipment to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Fort Worth and Mesquite, the Miracle League of Arlington and Safe Haven of Arlington along with other student athletes in Carroll ISD and others in the area.
The program has been supported by Carroll athletic director Kevin Ozee, the Carroll Athletic Booster Club and district advisor Dr. Mary Johnston, Old Union Elementary principal and Alex’s mother. The Old Union campus includes a Play It Forward donation bin and the elementary students regularly contribute to the program. The bin remains at the school year-round and is usually loaded with sports equipment ready to be donated.
“I’ve been impressed with the boys’ dedication in serving others,” Mary Johnston said,” and you can see the good it does for others that aren’t able to play sports without the generosity of others.”
LeJeune and Hill recently reached out to the Old Union campus to show their appreciation. They stopped by and thanked all the little Dragons for their donations, took pictures with the students and emptied the barrel. That’s the kind of impact these students are having. As the idols of the younger generation of Dragons, they hope the future Dragons carry the momentum of this program.
So, where do the high school students store all the equipment? Garages were overflowing and the Pro Players Foundation, a group of athletes and community leaders that assist disadvantaged youth, provided a local storage unit to house the equipment.
Having a full storage unit is a good problem. Because Play It Forward Southlake is producing game-changing student athletes.