🎥 WWL: ‘Affecting change in the community’ with new Born Learning Trail

Advisory Committee members of the Wonder Women League announce installation of the Born Learning Trail in Sunrise Park.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

Members of the new Wonder Women League (WWL) in Ellis County plan to “inspire and empower women to affect change in our community.”

Their first project is installation of a “Born Learning Trail” in Sunrise Park, 19th and MacArthur. The park is adjacent to Roosevelt Elementary School. The trail will be built in the middle of the park.

The announcement was made last week by the WWL Advisory Committee in partnership with Adams, Brown, Beran and Ball Financial Services, Hays.

WWL operates under the auspices of the United Way of Ellis County (UWEC) and is comprised of women donating to the WWL “above and beyond” their annual United Way contributions.

“Our goal is to complement the United Way, never to compete with it,” said WWL co-chair Nancy Jeter, who served as the 2017 UWEC campaign chair.

She and her husband Bill are regular United Way donors. “I got to thinking about it,” Jeter told the audience. “There are women, like me, who have the time, the talent and the resources who could do so much more, but they don’t really know where to go or how to help their community be a better place.”

After talking to Sherry Dryden, executive director of the United Way of Ellis County and Erica Berges, administrative assistant, the Wonder Women League was created. “You know when you get a group of women together, they’re pretty powerful,” Jeter said with a big smile on her face. She also sported bright pink eyeglasses and nail polish matching the color of the WWL logo on her shirt.

“Not getting anything done can really drag down a group,” added co-chair Rhonda Meyerhoff, “so we decided to get something done and we are excited. We know every day is a learning situation for kids. Sometimes they’re in a situation where they can have a lot of learning and sometimes not. Sometimes parents have the tools to help their kids learn and sometimes they don’t.”

The Born Learning Trail, a United Way initiative in many other communities, is a series of 10 interactive signs describing fun learning activities to be done along the trail by children along with their families and caregivers.

“The best part about is, it’s free,” Meyerhoff said. “We’re hoping this helps with pre-literacy, gross motor skills, and problem-solving skills. They can learn more each time they go there.”

Jude Fox, Meagan Wellbrock and Brenda Bickle of Adams, Brown, Beran & Ball Financial Services, Hays. Fox is a current UWEC board member and Wellbrock is a former board member.

“Trying to find a community service project for 54 people to do together can be challenging. So, we are going to help maintain this trail,” said Brenda Bickle, Financial Services Coordinator for Adams, Brown, Beran and Ball. “When the hopscotch layout needs to be repainted, or things need to be fixed, we’ll take our Adams, Brown crew out there and get it done so the kids can keep learning. It’ll be a great thing for the community.”

The city of Hays will donate labor to install the signs which will sport the Ellis County United Way logo.

There are more than 750 Born Learning Trails throughout the United States. “It’s high time Hays and Ellis County have one too,” Meyerhoff declared.

(Disclosure: Rhonda Meyerhoff is an employee of Eagle Communications which owns Hays Post.)