The Play for All Foundation and City of Round Rock announced Nov. 16 substantial donations being made to the Play for All Park Expansion on Wednesday, Nov. 16.

Representatives from Wag-A-Bag, Nyle Maxwell Family of Dealerships, Nolan Ryan Foundation, Austin area Chick-fil-A restaurants and Seton Medical Center Williamson gathered to announce their contributions to help make the Play for All Park Expansion a reality.

Former mayor of Round Rock Nyle Maxwell of the Maxwell Family of dealerships made a contribution of $60,000. “This particular park is so important because it gives children of all abilities and disabilities a chance to enjoy a beautiful day like today,” said Maxwell.

He went on to say that Round Rock stands out as a community because of the partnerships that are forged between philanthropic and civic organizations, donors, corporations, small and large businesses and the city of Round Rock. “When all that comes together, we can do wondrous things,” he said.

Ruth Ryan, wife of Nolan Ryan made a contribution on behalf of the Nolan Ryan Foundation and the Round Rock Express in the amount of $50,000 toward the park expansion. “My son Reese brought me out here a couple of weeks ago, and I was just blown away,” said Ryan. The foundation will headquarter its offices in Round Rock in January, and the donation to the Play for All Abilities Park is its first major contribution to the community, according to Desa Swaim, executive director of the Nolan Ryan Foundation.

Representatives for Round Rock, Pflugerville, Georgetown and Austin area Chick-Fil-A restaurants were present to make a contribution of $25,000 toward the park expansion, and expressed their excitement in partnering with the other contributors as well as the city of Round Rock to help improve the park and the community.

Seton Dell Children’s made a contribution in the amount of $25,000. “We had so much energy at Seton Williamson about this project from our pediatric rehab staff,” said Diane Plas, spokesperson for Seton. She said that many of their therapists worked on the design task force for the initial build of the park, because a park that allows children to play to their abilities means so much to patients and the therapists.

‘Big Boy’ Hester of Hester Auto and Body also hosted a fundraising party that raised more than $23,000 for the expansion.

And as they did with the initial build of the park, CHASCO will donate construction services to the expansion project. “We know that CHASCO is going to be a great partner for us, and CHASCO is going to match almost every dollar we put into the project in labor to make things happen for us,” said Rick Atkins, Director of Parks and Recreation.

Mayor Pro-Tem Craig Morgan announced that total contributions for the Play for All Abilities Park expansion had reached $341,496 through fundraising efforts. While there is no set timeline for completion of the project, Morgan said he hopes to see the project break ground soon.

Presenters in attendance included: Nancy Rabb, Vice President of Wag A Bag stores;  Nyle Maxwell from the Nyle Maxwell Family of Dealerships; Desa Swaim, Executive Director of the Nolan Ryan Foundation and Ruth Ryan, wife of National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Nolan Ryan; Kathleen Johnson, Operator for Round Rock Chick-fil-A, Kirk Thompson, Operator of the Pflugerville Chick-fil-A, Cliff Green, Operator of the Martin Luther King Austin Chick-fil-A, and Lance Bennett, Operator of the Georgetown Chick-fil-A. Additionally, representatives from Seton Medical Center Williamson will also make a presentation.

The Play for All Foundation and the Parks and Recreation Department are joining forces again to expand the Play for All Park. After hosting several community input meetings, plans are in place to take the Play for All Park to the next level. The park will double in size with the creation of three additional themed play spaces and expanding the four current play spaces.

Hundreds of thousands have visited the park from Central Texas and across the nation. Throughout the year, children are bused in from surrounding communities to enjoy this one-of-a-kind park. The need and love of this park has far surpassed expectations and it’s time to grow again to meet the needs of our community.

Donations of any amount to the Play for All Park Expansion continue to be accepted and can be made at www.play4all.org.