Staff Blogger: Alana Tarry, Director of Development
Cade Browning remembers coming to Lakeside as a high schooler to visit his grandmother at her cottage, Miriam’s Mansion.
It wasn’t until Cade and Katie were married and had their son Barrett that they visited Lakeside as a family. They immediately fell in love and started looking for a cottage of their own. They purchased one when their son Bede was seven months old, and the family has been coming back ever since.
Bettinger Park has always played an important role in the Browning family’s Lakeside experience. “When the boys were little, we built pond boats together in the park and enjoyed the big slide and the playground,” shared Katie. “As they got older, we could play shuffleboard and mini-golf as a family.”
Each summer, the Browning children look forward to their time in Lakeside, and more specifically, in the park.
“Now that Barrett is older, he heads to the basketball courts after pickleball, and we might not see him again until dinner,” said Katie. “He has developed friendships on the basketball courts that we know will last a lifetime. As Bede is playing basketball at school and enjoying more freedoms at Lakeside, he, too, can’t wait to join the big kids on the courts this summer.”
“Bettinger Park seems to be the heartbeat and center of Lakeside,” shared Katie. “Refreshing the dilapidated courts will brighten up the park, provide safer courts for the kids and continue to make the courts a relevant gathering place for young kids and teens.”
Lakeside has been a place where the Browning family comes to slow the pace and enjoy time together as a family without the busy, everyday activities. Everything slows down as they enter the gates and their lives are transformed.
For Katie, “Lakeside simplifies life, rejuvenates our souls, brings multiple generations together, provides a supportive community for us and our kids, and is a place where we have met the most fantastic people and formed lifetime friendships. It’s certainly a place where kids have freedoms unlike any other place; where kids can simply be kids and where their confidence can grow.”
“Our kids were so excited about the prospect of a new basketball court in Lakeside that they each donated some of their own money to the project,” said Katie. “We encourage others to join us and consider the park as part of their giving back this year.”
Donate Today
We need all hands in to transform the basketball, sand volleyball and multi-purpose courts into state-of-the-art facilities, all while enhancing recreational programming in the park. Your support today or tomorrow on #GivingTuesday will make an impact on the lives of Lakesiders for years to come, and we thank you for making a difference.
- Make an online donation any time before or on Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2018.
- Call (419) 798-5396 to give a gift over the phone.
- Make a check payable to the ‘Lakeside Chautauqua Foundation,’ Attn: #GivingTuesday, 236 Walnut Ave., Lakeside, Ohio 43440 with ‘Court Project’ in the memo line.
- Double the impact of your gift through your employer’s matching gift program.
- Make an online donation in honor or memory of a family member, friend or co-worker. Include an address, and Lakeside will send them a notification of your special gift.
