AUCTION WILL RAISE FUNDS FOR INCLUSIVE PLAYGROUND
Donations for April 20 event are still being accepted
A local Sterling woman is continuing her efforts to raise money for an inclusive playground at Pioneer Park for children with disabilities. Khrysie Dickinson is holding a Parks with a Purpose live auction event on Saturday, April 20.
The event will take place at the Knights of Columbus, 421 S. 11th Avenue, in Sterling, with doors opening at 4 p.m. and the auction starting at 4:30 p.m. Jason Santomaso has donated his time to serve as auctioneer for the event, which will also include pizza donated by Domino’s and Little Caesars, desserts, water and soft drinks donated by Pioneer Distributing as well as beer purchased from Pioneer Distributing.
Dickinson’s efforts to raise money for a playground started when she was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, an autoimmune disorder that causes pain, stiffness, swelling and loss of function of joints. It occurs when your immune system mistakenly starts attacking healthy tissue.
Diagnosed at the age of 17, at this time, Dickinson is in the fourth stage or end-stage RA, which means her joints are eroded and it is attacking her organs. She also suffers from Type 1 Diabetes, severe asthma and a kidney disorder. Dickinson has had 14 total surgeries so far and the RA is currently causing scar tissue to build up in her lungs, resulting in organizing pneumonia, an autoimmune pneumonia that will never go away but can be controlled. She has had eight chest tubes due to her left lung collapsing and last year had an open chest lung biopsy.
At one point she was on narcotics and steroids due to the pain but she no longer takes those after becoming addicted. Dickinson has been through every single treatment on the market for her RA but it is a very aggressive form and drug-re- sistant. She was even placed on chemotherapy for six months and lost her hair as a way to treat and slow down the disease, which has also caused fluid to build up around her heart and resulted in her starting to go into cardiac arrest.
“Instead of getting frustrated with individuals who assume it only affects the elderly or it’s just your common sore knee, I decided to educate people,” Dickinson said.
Wanting to focus on something positive, she decided to host a 5K walk/run in 2022 to raise awareness about the disease and donate money to the Rheumatoid Arthritis Foundation. Then, last year she decided she wanted to do something that would directly impact the community and would benefit kids with disabilities, so she went to work raising funds for an inclusive playground to replace the current playground at Pioneer Park, which is scheduled to be rotated out in three years.
“Do you know a child who has a disability? Maybe you have one yourself. Imagine how it would feel to go outside and enjoy the feeling of a swing with the exhilaration of the wind blowing in your face, to catch some fresh air and sunshine on a playground, and to be just like other kids,” Dickinson said in a post on the Facebook page she cre
ated for the auction event.
She has been working with Sterling Parks, Library and Recreation Director Wade Gandee, who also plans to look for grants to help cover the cost of the playground, which can run anywhere from $250,000 to upwards of $500,000. Plus, the city plans to use the Colorado Lottery funds it receives, which help replace playgrounds at each park.
Last year, Dickinson held a silent auction at 21st Century, sold T-shirts and partnered with Fox 5 Theatre, which donated proceeds from a movie showing to her campaign and now she’s hoping to raise even more funds with a live auction that will feature a variety of items. Some of the items that will be up for bid include two chicken coops, a 55inch Samsung TV, a tandem skydive jump certificate through Mile High Skydiving, a welding helmet, a $200 gift certificate to J&L Cafe, three coffee gift baskets, a gift certificate for an hour massage, salon gift baskets from two separate salons, a brand new $3,000 electric guitar, an “amazing” framed patriotic picture donated by 21st Century and two $50 gift certificates donated by Total INK.
Donations for the auction are still being accepted and she hopes to see many people at the event. The cost to get in is $5 if you pre-purchase a ticket, $3 for children 12 and under or you can buy a ticket at the door for $8. Everyone who purchases a ticket will be eligible for door prizes.
If you would like to donate an auction item or purchase a ticket, contact Dickinson at 970-4660063 or on Facebook Messenger.