Treasure Lake in DuBois, PA is a semi-private gated residential community with public access to a variety of activities.

The congregation at Treasure Lake Church is 65 percent from Treasure Lake and 35 percent from around DuBois.

But they are 100 percent focused on community outreach.

Following a large financial gift from congregation member Charlotte Bushong, the church was able to open a new family life center in 2014, followed by a new playground for its “God’s Little Treasures” preschool ministry.

First, they built the family life center with a large gymnasium, a concessions kitchen, and a workout room that is open to the public. The center also houses an educational wing that includes the preschool. It’s a state-licensed safe space childcare center, which is unique for the area.

Usually, the staff would take the children to the gym each day, or play outside in the grassy areas, but the school was missing a dedicated playground.

Cathy Donahue, executive director of Ministries, and her team decided to work with Curtis Bischof of General Recreation on the new playground design.

“First, we went on an adventure to visit a variety of playgrounds in the region. One that stood out to us was Gen Rec’s. We wanted a top-notch, state-of-the-art playground with quality equipment and surfacing. We also were limited with space, so we needed to use it wisely. Curtis helped us accomplish all of that,” says Cathy.

The playground was designed for children ages 2 to 5 and was to be used by the church families and the public.

“The playground is a facet of our community outreach plan in the Tri-County area,” she said.

The “congregation build “was a smooth success, complete with on-time equipment arrival and a BBQ cookout. The project helped bring the church and community together and provided much-needed family time.

“Curtis did really well in orchestrating the day for us and was willing to support us every step of the way from design and site prep, to surfacing installation, which helped make us a better team.”

The children enjoyed every part of the playground.

“The joy on all the little faces brought tears to the eyes of every childcare teacher that day,” recalled Cathy. “God has blessed us greatly and we felt led to share that blessing to every child who wants to enjoy the playground.”

General Recreation in Newtown Square serves Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, and has helped hundreds of community leaders and organizations build playgrounds that are safe, aesthetically pleasing and made to last.

General Recreation projects are supported by expert and trusted services, including site evaluation, playground design, installation, and community build services.

Find out more about the work of General Recreation.