LUMBERTON — The Kiwanis Club of Robeson-Lumberton has spent recent months raising money for a new inclusive playground, to be built at the Dr. Raymond B. Pennington Athletic Complex, to commemorate the club’s 100th anniversary.

The community’s generosity has far exceeded their expectations, and as a result the club will be expanding the project’s scope, adding more equipment and nearly doubling the playground’s footprint.

After an initial goal of $500,000, Kiwanis has $893,901 either received or pledged for the project.

The original design was for about a 5,500 square-foot playground. A new design, with additional equipment and open space, is approximately 10,000 square feet.

“We’re just excited that we’ll be able to serve more children simultaneously,” said Tim Little, a past club president who is project chair. “With the original footprint, it probably would’ve limited the number of classrooms that would have come, but I believe with the footprint we’re going to, Robeson County Public Schools could bring any number of classrooms and everybody will have fun, and families in Robeson County will have better opportunity to play and learn no matter what their abilities are.”

The amended cost for the playground itself will be $732,440 for equipment and installation as the club partners with Playworld Preferred LLC to construct the playground. Additional funding will be used to construct added parking in the adjacent area and signage. The initial cost was $493,822.

The latest donation came Thursday as Trillium Health Resources awarded Kiwanians with a $100,000 check in a presentation held at City Hall.

“We are happy to partner with Trillium,” Kiwanis President Lee Scott said. “Their mission statement aligns with ours; their mission statement is ‘transforming lives and building community well-being.’ The partnership that we’ve built with them is a great example of all the other partnerships we’ve been able to foster. It is amazing what a community can do when they get together and set their mind to something, especially when it’s for the betterment of others.”

Public Schools of Robeson County also presented Kiwanis with a $50,000 check at the club’s weekly meeting on Wednesday.

The playground includes wheelchair-accessible equipment and will be built on a pored rubber surface, which meets standards for “cushiness” but is also durable and sturdy enough for wheelchair traffic, Little told The Robesonian in January. Kiwanis is Playworld Preferred’s first customer to request an 80% wheelchair-accessible design.

The playground will also be tailored for children with autism and other sensory disorders, and will include elements that children of various interests will enjoy.

Kiwanis officials anticipate the project will be completed this summer. The playground will be located on a lot within the Pennington Complex which is currently vacant, in between the soccer/football fields and the parking lot on the northwest corner of the complex near the Meadow Road entrance.