Upton Foundation donates $10k for accessible Silver Beach Park playground

ST. JOSEPH, Mich. -- It was announced on Thursday the Berrien County Parks Department is receiving a $10,000 grant from the Frederick S. Upton Foundation to help bring an improved, accessible playground to Silver Beach County Park.

“We are very excited to participate in this project that will reinvent the playground at Silver Beach,” said Carrie Byrns Vill, the foundation's Board Chair.

According to the county, the playground is over 30 years old, showing increasing wear and tear, and lacks important accessibility features.

"The new playground will improve the visitor experience, bring in new and fresh features, and is being designed to invite anyone to come and play without barriers or limitations," said Berrien County Parks Director Jill Adams. "In 2023, the Berrien County Parks Department received an $850,000 Michigan Department of Natural Resources Spark Grant during the grant’s first round to help replace the Silver Beach County Park Playground. The announcement of the Frederick S. Upton Foundation grant is a huge boost for the county parks’ fundraising efforts to complete the project."

Silver Beach Playground Project updates, bid information, and fundraising progress can be found online.

“The grant from Frederick S. Upton Foundation shows love for this community," Adams said. "Thank you to the foundation for investing in environments which advocate for and support the diverse needs of our society."