Tree House holds grand opening

Earlier this month, the Keweenaw Family Resource Center opened its new ‘venture’ in the Tree House.

The below article is used from the Mining Gazette linked at:  http://www.mininggazette.com/page/content.detail/id/509353.html

HOUGHTON – The Tree House Indoor Playspace in Houghton is ready to open the doors to the pitter patter of little feet and laughter.

The Tree House Indoor Playspace, a product of the Keweenaw Family Resources Center in Houghton, has been an idea in the making for nine months and has finally become a reality for Jessica Della Valla, a parent who brought the idea of an indoor playspace to staff at the KFRC in May.

A ribbon cutting was conducted Friday and the doors will officially open Monday.

Bright colors and tons of space make up the “hub of wellness” inside the doors of the playspace, located in the Red Ridge Plaza. Paintings depicting frogs, trees, birds, bugs, rocks, clouds and a white fence adorn the blue and green walls inside the large play area and a bright yellow sun is painted on one side near a miniature rock climbing wall. The playspace features a large wooden play area with a tire swing and an orange treehouse with “Welcome!” sprawled across front. To one side of the room, there is a ball wall and to the other, a blue “lily pond” for crawlers and toddlers to play on. A bike corral is located near the center of the room and toys can be found in various baskets around the playspace.

“I know my kids love it,” Della Valla said. “Kids can come and try out everything.”

The idea was born with Della Valla when she envisioned a space for children to play in the cold winter months. After fundraising and building the entire space, the playspace began to take form. Now, it features a welcome center to remove shoes, as they are not permitted on the protective green flooring, and hang coats as well as a place to schedule time at the Tree House Indoor Playspace. There is another section of the building that allows parents to “take a timeout” with kids and enjoy a snack or a place to unwind.

To get information about memberships or sponsorships for the Tree House Indoor Playspace, call the KFRC at 482-9363.

http://www.kfrckids.org/the-tree-house

CTF News Briefs March 2010

CTF News Briefs March 2010

Have you hugged your child today?

March is Parenting Awareness Month and as part of a list of events carried out by the council, one of them was to participate in the local Family Fun Fair.

HOUGHTON – One by one, children and their families entered the Copper Country Mall Saturday and one by one, left with brightly colored balloons in tow.

“This is our 19th annual Family Fair,” John Mansfeldt, treasurer from the Copper Country Kiwanis, said. “We’re geared for children.”

Exhibits were set up along the halls in the mall, some of the vacant stores were open and full of exhibit booths and the center of the mall was occupied by a photo opportunity with the Easter Bunny.

“The exhibitors are giving out free information and we have a total of 23 different exhibitors,” Mansfeldt said.

Free balloons in a variety of colors were available and booths with information lined the hallways. Jack Dunstan and Paul Bridgers from Upper Peninsula Power Company did demonstrations about power lines and how to avoid a downed power line. The 4-H Extension had an exhibit, as well as the Copper Country Humane Society, Keweenaw Family Resource Center, Portage Lake District Library, Copper Country Farm Bureau, Great Start, Child and Family Services of the Upper Peninsula, Copper Country Mental Health Institute, Dial Help, Superior Child Abuse Prevention Co., Michigan Alliance for Families, Good Will Farm and many more. There were also sections where kids could participate in singing and dancing, storytime, and arts and crafts.

One of the more popular exhibits at the Family Fair was the petting zoo located in the vacant store next to the former B. Dalton.

“I want to pet it,” Kaylin Heikkila, 8, said to her sister, 7-year-old Jordin, as they beelined for the lamb.

Kraig and Megan Funkey brought their daughter, Ellie, 14 months, over to the petting zoo where she inched closer to the animals little by little.

“She’s been walking, so seeing this is very new for her,” Megan said.

The Keweenaw Spay and Neuter Assistance Group was also located near the petting zoo and they brought an orange cat named Lucky along.

“We’d like to find a home for Lucky,” Dawn Verberkemoes said.

The group was on hand to give information about the group and spaying and neutering. The group was also one hand to inform about their big fundraisers, like the annual garage sale.

“We also usually have rescued cats that we need to find homes for,” she said of Lucky.

Kiwanis is a service organization which supports fundraisers annually such as the Family Fair and the Reading is Fundamental program where they give out books to children in kindergarten through the fourth grade. Kiwanis also hosts a barbecue in September, which is a big fundraiser.

“We have a budget of about $10,000 every year that we give out to different organizations,” Mansfeldt said.

Stacey Kukkonen can be reached at skukkonen@mininggazette.com.