Lavonia Pilot Club Donates $50K Check for Playground Equipment

After a year of hard work and intensive fundraising, the Pilot Club of Lavonia has presented the City of Lavonia with a check for their share of the cost of playground equipment for special needs children and adults.

Club members gathered Tuesday afternoon to present Mayor Courtney Umbehant, members of the City Council, and City Manager Charles Cawthon with a check for $50,000.

The money covers two pieces of playground equipment now being installed at Lavonia City Park. Susan Harbin is the project coordinator for the Pilot Club.

She says their efforts started last year after a meeting with the Downtown Development Authority.

“We started last September and at that time we went in front of a roundtable at the Downtown Development Authority. And we spoke about the project and put it out there to the community. Then we started sending out letters and people started donating and the community has been very generous with us. And within nine months we had the money raised,” Harbin said.

The Pilot Club’s goal was $50,000 to purchase the equipment but they raised just over $64,000.

“We purchased a swing for a wheelchair or two people. You can actually put two wheelchairs on the swing. We’ve got a cycler, we’ve got a chime with three tympanic drums and we also have a chin-up, pull-up bar. We don’t have anything else on order right now. We want to get this put in. And then we’ll see where are. And if there is room, which we think there will be then we will potentially bring some more pieces in,” she explained.

Fundraisers held by the Pilot Club over the past year included an evening dinner at Sweet Combs of Honey, two events at the Lavonia Chick-Fil-A, as well events at the carnival and touch-the-truck.

The Pilot Club also received several grants along with many large and small private donations.