Baker City siblings raise money for splash pad project

Published 1:00 pm Friday, September 30, 2022

BAKER CITY — Maddy Hassmiller and her younger brother, Cedar, want to help make a splash in Baker City.

The siblings — Maddy is 14, Cedar 11 — are helping Penelope Simmons raise money with a goal of building a splash pad in Central Park, along the Powder River between Washington and Valley avenues.

Farrell Hassmiller, the siblings’ mother, said the project started when they needed to find new homes for toys the kids had accumulated.

“We thought we’d just give it to The Salvation Army, honestly,” Farrell said.

But Maddy, who is in Girl Scouts with Penelope, thought of the splash pad fundraising that Penelope, 17, has started as she works toward the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can earn.

So the Hassmillers decided to have a yard sale in late September with their toys and other items and donate the money to the splash pad project.

Their efforts raised $100.

“It was a mixture of old toys, books, and clothes and then my daughter had sort of a donation jar out and she had made some lemonade,” Farrell said. “I think she’s inspired, too, by how much Penelope does. Even I am in awe of how much she does.”

She said Maddy and Cedar are excited about potentially getting a local splash pad. They go to Central Park often and swim in the river, which runs beside the Leo Adler Memorial Parkway on the east edge of the park.

“They’re definitely excited,” Farrell said.

She said she and her husband, Bob, volunteer in the community and encourage their kids to do the same.

“Whether you’re volunteering or you’re helping out with your extra funds, if you’re so fortunate, it’s an important value to us,” Farrell said.