By Kate Bartlett
The Ellicottville Playground will host their first large scale fundraiser on Saturday, July 27 at the Concord Crest Golf Course. The Golf Tournament will include an 18-hole round of golf, cart, dinner, swag bag, chances to win prizes, and an afternoon/evening of fun in good company. All proceeds will go towards building the all-inclusive playground in the Village of Ellicottville.
The Ellicottville Playground was formed in 2023 by 5 local moms who recognized the need for an all-inclusive playground in the Village of Ellicottville. Molly Timkey, Tiffany Frentz, Patti Snyder, Kelsey Adamson and Kate Johnson-Clark, have been working hard at raising awareness, raising funds and planning next steps for the playground. The playground will replace the outdated equipment with an all-inclusive concept to best meet the needs of the community.
The golf fundraiser marks their first major fundraiser and community event for the playground. In March, the women ran a successful garage sale collecting donations from the community. “The event was a success. We’re off to a great start and we hope to keep the momentum,” says Molly Timkey.
The golf tournament will be held at the Concord Crest Golf Course in hopes of attracting a wider radius of participants, as the golf course is located between Buffalo and Ellicottville. “Our team member, Tiffany, had this idea and has been working hard on all the details” says Molly.
Registration is live online at bit.ly/Playgroundgolf ($125 individual/$500 team of 4) and includes a round of golf, cart, dinner, swag bag, and chances to win prizes. Shotgun start is at 2pm on Saturday, July 27. All proceeds go directly towards the playground efforts.
“It’s going to be a great day of golfing for a good cause,” says Molly. “We’ll have prizes throughout the evening and it’ll be a fun, laid-back atmosphere following a full day of golfing. We’re hoping to spread awareness of our mission and gain community involvement.” The group has actively been engaging in community events aiming for monthly opportunities in efforts to spread awareness and work with as many people as possible.
After many months of planning, the Ellicottville Playground committee has finally secured a company to build with, and will be receiving final renderings of their plans in the near future. “It’s been a long process,” says Molly, “and we’re so excited to finally be here in this phase. We’re beyond excited to finally see our vision come to life, on paper, and we can’t wait to share with the community.”
The playground consists of several custom design pieces which will be revealed soon in upcoming editions of The Villagernewspaper. “These pieces allow for inclusivity of all children regardless of their abilities. We’re looking forward to sharing them with the community, helping everyone understand their function.”
The group is grateful for the community support they’ve received so far, and is excited to begin these next phases. “The community has been incredible so far, and we’re looking forward to working with more businesses and individuals in these next chapters.”
Ellicottville playground is actively seeking event sponsors for the golf tournament at all levels. “We have many sponsorship opportunities available including hole sponsorships, towel sponsorships and tiered tournament sponsors.” If interested in sponsoring, please email Tiffany at ellicottvilleplayground@gmail.com.
To register for the event visit bit.ly/Playgroundgolf and follow the group for event updates on Facebook @ Ellicottville Playground.