Williamstown Community Association keeps local kids busy
By DAVE PAYNE Sr., dpayne@newsandsentinel.comEditor's note: This is the next in a series of articles about the member agencies of the United Way Alliance of the Mid-Ohio Valley.
WILLIAMSTOWN - For more than 50 years, the Williamstown Community Association has kept Williamstown children busy during the summer.
The association, a member agency of the United Way Alliance of the Mid-Ohio Valley, started with a pool project in 1943. It operated that pool for the next six decades, until it was removed to make room for new construction at Williamstown High School in 2005.
Over the years, the association has brought to Williamstown a variety of organized sports and other activities for children and has built and maintained facilities to make them possible. With the help of volunteers, the association operates six ballfields on Waverly Road and offers teeball, baseball and softball for its organized sports offerings for children ages 5 through 18, said Brian Fulton, association president.
"In the past, the association has done tennis and summer basketball. We don't have a lot of funding sources other than the United Way Alliance and it got to a point where it was overwhelming. We are a small community and people and businesses give what they can, but there is only so much to go around," he said.
"We have been trying find other areas to fill needs for the kids. We have brought back some of the original efforts, like the playground program. It promotes interaction with other children and it gives children an opportunity to play and exercise. Times change, but its nice to go back and recreate that feeling from the early days (of the association)," Fulton said.
Without the aid of the United Way Alliance, the association's efforts in Williamstown would not be possible.
"We simply couldn't provide the programs and services we do without the United Way Alliance. Everything is done by volunteers, but we have to have money to go into liability insurance, equipment and we have six ballfields we have to keep up on a day-to-day basis," Fulton said.
He said the programs are available to any child.
"Anybody can participate. If a child does not have access to the fees, we work something out. Nobody is denied play," Fulton said.
Williamstown Mayor Jean Ford said she has always been impressed by the association's dedication and quality programs.
"They have just dedicated their lives to children. It is the best thing there is for sports. Without the pool being open, children would have nothing to do in the summer, but the community association has all these programs for children," she said.
Marty Seufer, city councilman, said the association is able to provide better recreation opportunities for children that the city could do on its own.
"We (the city) could do it all, but the programs would certainly suffer and it would certainly be a burden to the city. They are enthusiastic and passionate about offering these activities for kids," Seufer said.
