Sarah Stultz: You can make a difference — if you just try
Published 8:45 pm Tuesday, June 10, 2025
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I’m still coming down from the excitement of last week with the inclusive playground.
We had an awesome turnout for our grand opening celebration, and every time I have driven past the park or attended it with my son, it has been alive with activity.
It is heartwarming to see it finally be in use and to see all of the different people young and old, and with varying abilities, using the park.
As I prepared my remarks for what I was going to say to thank all of the donors for the project and to highlight a few of the significant contributions, my mind thought about some of the donors who may not have been recognized much previously but who deserve a special shout-out.
One of those is 11-year-old Brycelynn Partlow.
Brycelynn Partlow raised over $600 through selling homemade bracelets. Provided
Brycelynn has made over $600 for the park simply by making and selling homemade bracelets.
She jumped on to the cause pretty early in the fundraising process and sold her bracelets online, at a local business, at the first Let Inclusion Fly Kite Festival and finally at our ceremony last week.
While this young woman could have been playing with her friends or doing something more exciting for a youth her age, she chose to dedicate her time for this cause.
I was pretty impressed to hear about her project early on, but as time went on, she never forgot the effort and continued to make and sell more bracelets.
More than half of the proceeds from her bracelets sold last week went to the playground. How awesome is that?
Thinking about her example makes me think how we can all make a difference in our own way in different community projects if we just find something we’re passionate about and stick with it.
Some may think, “Well I don’t have money to give to the different projects I want to contribute to.”
Well, the reality is, monetary donations are not the only thing you can give to a cause such as the playground or another project in the community.
While monetary donations are great, organizations will also appreciate donations of time. There’s always something you can give — if you’re willing to put in the work.
Thanks to young Brycelynn for showing us all how it’s done!
Sarah Stultz is the managing editor of the Tribune. Her column appears every Wednesday.
