Correspondent photo / Sean Barron David Sweeney, father of Rowan Sweeney, left, and Gabe Manginelli, Boardman Park’s executive director, hold a $145,000 check Wednesday that will go toward building an all-inclusive playground in the park in honor of Rowan, who was shot to death Sept. 21, 2020, in a Struthers home. He was 4. The new playground will replace the existing one to the rear.

BOARDMAN — A multitude of means to cope with and heal from trauma and grief that result from a life-altering loss are available to those who experience such an upheaval.

Options include establishing a scholarship in the name of a lost loved one, pushing for stronger legislation on behalf of the person, and building a playground to honor and keep alive the lost loved one’s name and legacy.

For several years, David Sweeney of Canfield has been working tirelessly to bring the latter choice to fruition on behalf of his late son, Rowan Sweeney — and he’s considerably closer monetarily to seeing that happen.

That’s because the Rowan Sweeney Memorial Foundation donated a $145,000 check Wednesday to Boardman Park as part of the first phase of building an all-inclusive playground called Rowan’s Memorial Park, which will be similar to Walnut Grove in Canfield, for children “of all ages and abilities,” that will honor Rowan for this generation and those to come, Sweeney said. The space also will provide another enjoyable recreation spot for children and adults, he added.

So far, $147,000 has been raised toward the effort, according to the foundation’s website.

“Rowan was a loving, playful and energetic young boy. He was so excited for his 5th birthday (Oct. 4, 2020) and to finish preschool and enter kindergarten. He was ready to be signed up for baseball, and he had an interest in soccer,” Sweeney said about his beloved son, who was shot to death Sept. 21, 2020, during a home invasion robbery at a Struthers residence.

The three men who were convicted of the crime are serving lengthy prison sentences.

The $145,000 will go toward mainly buying equipment for the playground and excavation work.

The playground idea germinated about a month after Rowan’s death — in part because he loved parks and playgrounds – and it started as a charitable trust, Sweeney said, adding that the finished playground also will be easily accessible for those who use wheelchairs. A groundbreaking at the site, which is near Marge Hartman’s Paws Town Dog Park off Southern Boulevard, likely will be in mid- or late August, he said.

The $145,000 boost also is in conjunction with a recent $54,300 Nature Works grant the park received through the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, money that will be used to remove the aging playground that sits where the new one named in Rowan’s honor will be installed, Gabe Manginelli, Boardman Park’s executive director, noted.

The original plan called for using the smaller grant to replace the current playground, but reviewing the Sweeney Foundation’s plans allowed the park to enlarge the project’s scope and potential impact, Manginelli said.

The foundation hired Brighton, Michigan-based Penchura LLC to handle much of the project’s design phase, Sweeney said.

Penchura, which serves Ohio and Michigan, is a supplier of play structures such as swings, slides, climbing apparatuses and sensory play products.

The partnership between the park and the Rowan Sweeney Foundation was established in 2022, about the same time the foundation was granted 501(c)(3) nonprofit status.

“I’m very grateful that they approached us,” Manginelli said, adding that the late Dan N. Slagle Jr., the park’s longtime director, held meetings and worked to secure grant money for the project.

Slagle died June 28, 2023, at age 72.

Regardless of how the playground project progresses, Sweeney already has received perhaps the best gift his son could have left him, he said.

“Everyone meant something to him,” Sweeney said, adding, “He shaped me into who I am. He made me become the man I am today.”

To make a donation, go to www.rowansweeneymemorialfoundation.com, or visit any Huntington Bank location. Those who choose the latter option are asked to include “Rowan Sweeney Memorial Foundation” on the check, Sweeney said.