ABOUT US

The Friends of Pepperell Recreation is a relatively young non-profit organization made up of a small group of dedicated volunteers with a commitment to the enjoyment, improvement and expansion of our town’s outdoor recreational facilities and open spaces for use by residents and neighbors of all ages. Each of us board members enjoys family fitness in our own way (through organized classes and team sports, running and speed-walking our country roads and hiking and mountain biking our conservation areas), so our desire to get and keep others moving is inherent in our goals.

The Friends of Pepperell came to be in May 2006. As a group, we met regularly and soon pursued and obtained our 501(c)(3) status. Our initial small project was to purchase a handicap accessible swing for the original town swing-set. Achieving our first success so quickly (in less than a year!) helped us to gain notoriety in Pepperell. Our mission was spreading and requests for additional projects were pouring in from residents – for enhancements like: a new playground, a paved walking track, fixes to the dilapidated tennis courts, an outdoor ice rink, a street hockey rink, a basketball court reserved for younger players, a water park, a pool and so on. We prioritized the projects based on popularity and began raising money.

Since then, we have been striving to raise funds through fun, useful and unique means, including: a Halloween Costume Sale, Used Bike Sale, Town Wide Yard Sale, Middle School Game Day, Holiday House Tour, a Pepperellopoly board game and most recently, a 5k run/walk. After several years of fundraising, we successfully purchased and installed a new playground on Town Field through a community build in June 2010 (overall project budget; $36,000). This new playground replaced the town’s swings and monkey bars that had been there for over 30 years! Our selection of play structures was aimed to provide children not only with eight (8) new play structures, but individual pieces necessitating children to run from piece to piece, thus combining play with exercise. It is beyond rewarding to see the new playground being used and enjoyed year-round by children of all ages!

The Town Field playground project left us tired (naturally!) but also more energized than ever to continue our mission. We refocused our energies on more fundraising and, the following winter, installed our third project; an outdoor town ice rink (overall project budget year 1; $1,600 – year 2; $900). Another successful community build, we were impressed by, and thankful for, the willingness of our fellow residents to help with the planning, build and maintenance of the rink. Although unseasonably warm temperatures made for a short skating season in year 1, the success of the project was immediately apparent. The ice was regularly covered with excited and happy children, families, hockey players, grandparents, parents and groups exercising nearly every day after school, all weekend and evenings under the lights. Our aspiration of a winter physical activity was realized.

The Friends of Pepperell Recreation’s long-term objectives are to continue to implement projects and programs that meet resident’s appeals for further enrichment of Pepperell’s recreational resources. Our short-term goal is to install a paved walking track on Town Field.