CPO, park board launch effort to honor Roseann Bentley with new playground
As soon as this summer, Phelps Grove Park will be home to the new Roseann Bentley Musical Playground.
Community Partnership of the Ozarks recently partnered with the Springfield-Greene County Park Board to launch a fundraising campaign to honor Bentley for a lifetime of service.
The first of its kind for the park board, the musical playground will be interactive and fully accessible. It will feature playground-grade instruments including xylophones, drums and other percussive tones, built in colorful shapes of flowers and trees, according to a Monday news release.
Installed in the center of the current playground area at Phelps Grove Park, the new space will be designed for kids of all ages and abilities.
“As a longtime champion for children and early childhood education, Roseann’s impact on Springfield-Greene County, the region, and our state has been immeasurable,” said Janet Dankert, president and CEO of Community Partnership of the Ozarks, in the release.
“The CPO Board and staff as well as the Springfield-Greene County Park Board agree that this project is the perfect way to recognize and honor Roseann’s contributions for years to come.”
Bentley has spent decades working on behalf of children and education.
She taught kindergarten and first grade and served on the Springfield school board as well as the state school board. She also served on the National Association of State Boards of Education and the Parents As Teachers National Board.
Bentley was a founding member of the CPO Board of Directors, serving more than 20 years including a stint as the board president in 2009.
She was on the statewide Families and Community Trust, or FACT, board for more than 10 years. She represented CPO and helped shape other community partnerships across Missouri.
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Bentley was the first woman elected to the state senate from southwest Missouri, representing the Springfield area from 1995 to 2003.
Following that service, she was a Greene County Commissioner for 12 years, retiring in 2016.
Bentley help found Ozarks Public Television in the early 1970s and the United Way of the Ozarks Day of Caring in 1993.
In 2016, Springfield Public Schools named its new administrative center on Sunshine Street in her honor. She is married to Dr. John Bentley and resides in Springfield.
The new playground will be funded entirely by donations, and CPO and the park board hope to raise $100,000. Contributions may be made at bit.ly/3DanV9G. Naming opportunities for park benches and other playground features are available. For more information, call Dankert at 417-888-2020.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: CPO launches effort for Roseann Bentley Musical Playground in park
