McDonald's $10,000 splash keeps Civic League on track with project

With fellow Greencastle Civic League members applauding in the background Thursday evening, Suzanne Masten (right) and Emily Knuth (center), who have co-chaired the Splash Park Project for the Greencastle Civic League, accept a $10,000 check from Ronald McDonald House Charities as presented by Greencastle McDonald's store manager Paul Jedele.

Pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters certainly don't make as big a splash as a giant, lottery-winning-sized check but when they hit the water, they all add up nonetheless.

And all that loose change that Greencastle McDonald's customers routinely toss into collection canisters at the front counter and the drive-through window has come back to the community in a big way.

A $10,000 check -- targeted as a donation to the Greencastle Civic League Splash Park Project -- was presented Thursday evening by Greencastle McDonald's Manager Paul Jedele and his father, Bob Jedele, owner of Jedele Enterprises and the local McDonald's to bring the splash park project one step closer to reality.

The $10,000 comes directly from Ronald McDonald House Charities but the coins accumulated in reaching that figure came from the pockets of caring customers and restaurant owners like the Jedeles, who have donated a portion of every Happy Meal sold and each Shamrock Shake ordered last spring.

Whenever the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) representative empties the collection canisters as he makes his rounds, he is always amazed at how generous local residents are with their spare change in support of the charity.

"He says he has to empty our canisters a lot more often than the other stores," Manager Paul Jedele said proudly as he passed an oversized $10,000 check to Civic League members Suzanne Masten and Emily Knuth.

Masten and Knuth have chaired the ongoing effort to raise $300,000 for the project.

The fundraising effort is about $40,000 short with the latest donation in hand.

"Civic League is thrilled and honored to receive this grant from such a highly regarded organization," Knuth said of Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Future Splash Park users, Greencastle Civic League members and McDonald's representatives celebrate a $10,000 check donation from Ronald McDonald House Charities presented Thursday at the Greencastle McDonald's. Holding the Civic League banner (from left) are Erin Staggers (associate member), Amy Walter, Anastasia Wells, Bobbie Lancaster, Amy Welch, Deb Gould and Jamie Downen. In the center are owner Bob Jedele, manager Paul Jedele and Cara Jedele (seated). Splash Park project co-chairs Emily Knuth (seated left) and Suzanne Masten hold the oversized check as behind them, Jinsie Bingham and Joanne Haymaker (Civic League associate members) and local youngsters look on.

"The funds from RMHC give us a great boost to reach our $300,000 fundraising goal," she added, "and provides continued momentum and energy to our effort to build this park for the children of Putnam County."

Led by Knuth and Masten, the Civic League has been working on the project since fall 2011 and now sees the finish line approaching at last.

The Civic League's goal is to open the free splash park section of the aquatic center in Robe-Ann Park during the 2014 Memorial Day holiday.

A splash park typically offers sprayed, gushed, dumped and poured water for enjoyment, a bit like the days of running through the sprinkler at home. It will have no standing water, thus avoiding the need for any lifeguards.

Masten said it is important that younger children have another free attraction for recreation purposes.

"This amenity will keep people in Greencastle," she added. "It will keep me spending my day in my own community and spending money here for lunch and gasoline and snacks instead of driving over to Plainfield for the water park and buying lunch and gasoline and who knows what else while they're there."

Knuth readily agreed.

"A big piece of why we want to put this here," she said, "is to provide another positive outlet for families and children to play within our community.

"It's like the Emerald Palace Playground," she continued, addressing a prior Civic League success story in the city park.

"You see what that's done for our park and our community. We're hoping to replicate that and create another positive experience and give back to our community."