Teen raises funds for wheelchair swings
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ELKINS – When 15-year-old Aidan Lowther started thinking about what he was going to do for his annual 4-H project this summer, he knew wanted to take a different approach.
For the past four years, Lowther, who will be a junior at Elkins High School this fall, centered his projects around livestock. And although the subject matter was important to both himself and 4-H, he wanted to focus this year's project on something that would benefit his community.
"I volunteered at the Elkins Parks and Recreation Summer Camp last year and I noticed that people in the area with disabilities, like being in a wheelchair, didn't really have much to do," Lowther told The Inter-Mountain. "So I decided to ask the Parks and Recreation for permission to build a wheelchair swing as part of a community service project."
After being granted the go-ahead to tackle the project, Lowther started seeking donations to make his dream project become a reality. After sending out letters, knocking on doors, and talking to people face-to-face, Lowther came to realize he was collecting more money than he originally projected for one wheelchair swing, which was to be installed at the Elkins City Park.
"My community really showed up for me," said Lowther. "And it shows with the fact that we were able to get three wheelchair swings with the money I raised, instead of one."
At the end of the day Lowther had brought in an impressive $8,800 for his project. And because the funding grew to that amount, he was able to put three swings in at three different parks in Elkins.
"This was my first year doing a project for community service and I found it to be more rewarding," said Lowther. "People are going to be able to use these wheelchair swings for a very long time and that makes me very happy."
All three of the swings have been installed and are located at Elkins City Park, Bluegrass Park and Glendale Park. Lowther coordinated with the City of Elkins Street Department to install the swings at their convenience.
"The Street Department was gracious enough to put them in for me and they are going to pour asphalt ramps to all three of the swings," Lowther said. "I'm glad I got to know a lot of people while doing this project. Everyone I talked to enjoyed seeing a project like this happening. I'm very grateful for all the support."
Lowther is in 4-H Teen Leaders for Randolph County, is on the 4-H Teen Council, and is the teen representative for the 4-H Foundation. He is the son of Christopher Lowther and Jenna Jeffries of Elkins.
"I plan on doing another project similar to this next year," Lowther said. "I'm going to look and see what could be beneficial to the community and then figure out something that could help a lot of people from within the area. That will be the base around my project next year."
Lowther is also a member of the Elkins High School Band and has been appointed as a trumpeteer for the 86th Mountain State Forest Festival this year. He is a member of Citizens Promoting Community, part of the Tech Team at the Refinery Church, and volunteers for the Interact Children's Museum.
"I've commended Aidan many times on this project," his father, Elkins City Councilman Chris Lowther, said. "I'm very proud of him for taking on a project like this and thinking of others that sometimes nobody else thinks of."
Each one of the swings have a weight capacity of more than 700 pounds and are designed for both children and adults.