This article has been updated since it first appeared in print.
Illustration by Kyle Talley
This week, the Rotary Club of Innsbrook and the Rotary Club of Western Henrico unveiled a $10,000 addition to Short Pump Park: an early learning trail with 10 interactive stations.
The project will provide an outdoor learning experience for preschoolers and their families as well as promote school readiness and community engagement. Colorful signs and pavement stencil drawings prompt conversation and fun while helping children identify letters, shapes and items found in nature.
“Rotary is more than just a group of volunteers, it’s a movement of ‘People of Action’ who come together to address challenges and create lasting solutions,” says Raghavan Sadagopan, who serves as president of the Innsbrook chapter. Rotary International has 40 Virginia chapters as well as 1.4 million members worldwide.
Growing up in India, Sadagopan remembers his local Rotary chapter installing a well to provide his village with clean drinking water. When he moved to Richmond for a job at Capital One, he knew he wanted to be part of the local Rotary club here.
“This is my time of giving back, improving my local community and making a broader impact,” he says.
On March 26, Rotarians and members of Glen Allen High School’s Interact Club came together to build the trail, pave sidewalks and install signs, followed March 27 by the ribbon-cutting ceremony and grand opening of the trail.
Henrico County’s Department of Recreation and Parks recommended Short Pump Park for the installation. Adjacent to Short Pump Elementary School, the popular park features play equipment, a splash pad, athletic fields, picnic facilities and a dog park. The United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg has provided supplies and is overseeing sign installation and trail maintenance.
