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It may be a small school, but its community has a lot of heart.<\/p>\n
Time and again, when Irwin Memorial Public School in Dwight puts a call out for help with a new initiative, its network of parents, service groups and local businesses step up in a big way. So its no surprise that when the school decided to install a disc golf course for use by both students and the larger community, the response was “positive from the get-go,” says teacher Peter Yungblut.<\/p>\n
He had brought the idea to the school’s parent council, and they immediately jumped on board with support for the project.<\/p>\n
“I\u2019ve played a little bit before with my own kids,” says Yungblut. “It was fun, it was free, and we have this big piece of land and the forest [at the school].”<\/p>\n
Research led them to Innova Disc Golf, and with the concept in hand Yungblut started seeking financial support for the project from local organizations. The Dwight and Dorset Lions clubs donated $700 apiece, H.O.L.D. (Hillside, Oxtongue Lake, Dwight) contributed $2,000, and the Township of Lake of Bays committed $1,000.<\/p>\n
Irwin’s parent council has been “phenomenal times a million”, says Yungblut, contributing $1,500 as well as a whole lot of work to see the project through to completion for a total contribution equivalent to about $11,000.<\/p>\n
“On paper it\u2019s a $23,000 project, but with support we are doing it with about $9,000,” says Yungblut.<\/p>\n
Over two weekends in early June, the course was cleared and in the process gave the school another two trails \u2014the disc golf trail and a short connector trail that leads to a previous trail at the school.<\/p>\n
“We had a small army helping out,” says Yungblut. “Now we have a multipurpose trail for snowshoeing, for primary students for running, for disc golf, which is kind of neat.”<\/p>\n\n\t\t