Mercy Well being donates $1M to Metroparks Toledo

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – A big announcement came on Friday in the improvement initiative along the Maumee River near downtown Toledo.

The Glass City Metropark was only opened to the public a few months ago. But that is only the beginning of a massive renovation of the riverbank.

Ally Effler, Chief of Philanthropy at Metroparks Toledo, tells 13abc, “If we can connect people to water and bring them to life, we will take a big step forward in helping people here really solve some of our water problems . “

That means transforming 300 acres along the Maumee River. The project is priced at $ 200 million. And Compassionate Health, Metroparks Toledo just wrote a huge check – one million dollars – to help him out.

Mercy Health President Bob Baxter said, “For us, the connection for what the Metroparks do really has to do with the mind, body and spirit, which is part of our healing ministry.”

Baxter says Metroparks Toledo has always been successful in their projects to get people outside, and one of which Mercy was happy to be a part of.

He says, “There are many studies that suggest that being in nature is beneficial for mental health, or whether it is just about communicating with the spirituality that nature offers.”

Metroparks Toledo leaders like Effler say projects like this do just that. One method: “FitParks”.

She explains, “There are several ways we can get people into the parks and experience things like biking, climbing or kayaking, and we have more plans.”

Three of these FitParks already exist at Wildwood, Farnsworth and oOak Openings. And by next summer, the bay in the Glass City Metropark will also offer visitors plenty of opportunities for interaction.

“There people will see fishing,” says Effler, “Children play on the boardwalk, you will see the kayakers out there, and it’s one of those places with high activity that draws people into our community.”

Effler says that when the project is complete, the entire Glass City Metropark will include the Glass City Metropark itself, an area from Anthony Wayne Bridge to the Veterans Glass City Skyway, a five-mile Riverwalk loop, and various park activities.

Construction on the second phase is slated to begin in July, and The Cove in Glass City Metropark is slated to open to the public sometime next summer.

More information about the project: https://metroparkstoledo.com/explore-your-parks/glass-city-riverwalk-coming-soon/

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