NEBRASKA CITY -  Otoe County commissioners approved $20,000 in keno funds for new playground equipment in the village of Otoe, where a new kids club is being called a catalyst for change.

 

Commissioner Chuck Cole and his wife Julie donated the matching funds for the $40,000 playscape equipment featuring five slides, climbing cornucopia, loop ladders and game panels.

He said they were motivated to make the donation for the village park because of the impact the Otoe Kids Club club is having on the community.

 

Cole: “They have taken the initiative to change the culture in Otoe with these younger kids and that means a lot to us. If you get a chance and you drive through, it’s really coming along.”

Otoe Kids Club organizer Kimberly Dixon said she agrees with Commissioner Cole in regards to the Otoe Kids Club changing the culture.

 

Dixon: “My family moved from another state and my boys have never found a grouping of kids like the Otoe Kids Club and it has changed them completely from the core. Their depression levels are non-existent now. They have a group of friends that I would say will be lifetime friends and I’d say 100 percent is has to do with this group and what they are doing to change.”

She said raising the funds for the playground is part of the lessons she wants the kids to learn about volunteerism and working together for a goal.