On Wednesday, June 24, the Dawsonville Civitan Club officially presented the city of Dawsonville with a check for the new wheelchair accessible swing at Main Street Park. 

According to Dawsonville Mayor Mike Eason, the wheelchair swing is the first of its kind in the county and a welcome addition to the park, which officially opened its playground area to the public last week. 

More wheelchair accessible areas will open as park construction continues, Eason said. 

“We think this swing is a great addition to our park, and it’s something that’s not available anywhere else in Dawson County,” Eason said. “We’ve got some other stuff in the park too that is wheelchair inclusive, but there was no swing, so we thought this would give somebody a chance to swing that maybe never has before.” 

Dianne Hansard, president of the Dawsonville Civitan Club, explained that one of the goals of the club is to make a difference in the lives of people with disabilities, so the wheelchair swing was a perfect project for the club to fund. 

“We hold fundraisers like our annual gun raffle to raise funds for projects like this,” Hansard said. “Then we make sure to spend our money on extra stuff that’s not already planned in the budget by the city or the school system ... That way we’re supporting projects that aren’t already covered.”

In the past, the Civitan Club has also donated wheelchair accessible equipment, including a picnic table, to Veterans Memorial Park. 

The club also sponsors projects and events in the community, including giving Christmas stockings and gifts to residents at North Georgia Assisted Living, providing t-shirts and monetary donations to the local Special Olympics and sponsoring the annual Miss Sparkles pageant. 

The wheelchair swing is yet another unique way for the club to better the community in Dawson Count, Eason commented at the ceremony. 

“This is an opportunity for people of all ages with disabilities to come and use the park,” Eason said. “It’s a companion swing too, so the caregiver can sit with them and swing too.”