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The Sawyer Overman Ninja Park will be located in the Community Park in Fort Recovery. It's expected to be complete by the end of the summer. Below, Community Park.
FORT RECOVERY- Years after the death of local boy Sawyer Overman, his legacy will soon live on through a multi-obstacle ninja park planned for Fort Recovery's Community Park.
The community-funded Sawyer Overman Ninja Park will provide children with a new place to climb, balance and play while honoring Sawyer's adventurous spirit.
Sawyer, 6, died in an ATV accident on June 1, 2020. According to his mom Lisa, Sawyer was an athletic kid that was always on the go. He enjoyed playing baseball, basketball and flag football.
"I had the idea actually, just like a few weeks after Sawyer passed," his mom said. "I had just mentioned to some of our family and friends who were at our house visiting, I thought a ninja park or a park built in Sawyer's honor would be pretty cool. Then I mentioned the ninja park because we went to the one in Celina (regularly). He loved it. And Sawyer was a competitive, outdoorsy little boy. I had just said this, I was not really in my right mind and deeply grieving at the time, not really thinking it will ever happen. But little did I know that all of our family and friends were listening and, my awesome family and friends, they started kind of planning this all behind my back, like, in a good way."
Lisa and Sawyer's dad Shawn then set up the Sawyer Overman Ninja Park fund in 2022. Since then, they have raised over $1 million through community donations and fundraising efforts.
"It's hard to put in words what this community means to us. The saying, 'It takes a village,' has never meant more to us than it does now," Lisa said. "We've witnessed it, we've lived it. We felt it. This village has been amazing. They've carried us through the most unimaginable pain. I honestly don't know if I'd be here talking about him like I do now if this community didn't wrap us up, and give us a hug and love us."
The Sawyer Overman Ninja Park will be located in the Community Park in Fort Recovery. It's expected to be complete by the end of the summer.
An example of the support the Overman's received occured at the Fort Recovery elementary and middle schools. In late 2023, students raised nearly $9,500 in just a week to support the creation of the ninja park.
Elementary students raised $8,473.28 during the student council's weeklong "Cents for Sawyer" fundraising campaign, spearheaded by student council.
Just $2,683 of the funds raised were in paper bills, meaning the remaining $5,790.28 in change had to be lugged to the bank by the bucketload.
"They were blown away, like on day two, they'd already passed their goal of how much they've ever brought in that week period," Lisa said. "It's a theme week. The first couple years, they asked me what were Sawyer's favorite things and each day they dressed up. Like I know he loved WWE wrestling, so one day was wrestling day, (one day was) camo because our family hunts. He loved hunting. I think he loved bright colors, so one day was wear neon colors. It's just cool. Kids were going to their grandparents' house and asking, 'What can I do for your change?' They were learning to do chores."
Middle school students raised $1,000 for the park during the same time period.
The group behind Sawyer's park have also held a variety of community events aimed at raising funds.
"The very first one was T-shirt sales, (and there were) multiple lemonade stands that summer. We've done five wiffle ball benefit weekends where we have the two-day event. We have all kinds of activities. … We also do a silent and a live auction, which we get some pretty cool donations for that," Lisa said. "We've also done two Second Amendment Bingos, which those go over very well in this area. We had a New Year's Eve benefit one year, which was like dueling pianos. That was pretty fun."
The money raised purchased the park's equipment, while local businesses donated labor to ready the Community Park site and eventually install the equipment.
"Kahlig Dozing & Excavating - They have kindly donated their time to get the land ready," family friend and park organizer Megan Wendel said. "We have Andy Stachler, well, Stachler Concrete, coming in next week to start pouring cement. I think once we start seeing that, it's going to be real."
The Sawyer Overman Ninja Park will be located in the Community Park in Fort Recovery. It's expected to be complete by the end of the summer.
Via GameTime and DWA Recreation.
Lisa said they hope to have the park completed by the end of the summer. The Sawyer Overman Ninja Park will feature timed obstacles, so before parkgoers start, they will hit a button, go through all the obstacles and then there's a stop button at the end.
"So it's competitive, that's how Sawyer was- always had to be the fastest," Lisa said. "There's also a 40-yard dash that's actually timed too. Then there'll be a big 4 Sawyer logo there. There will be a pad there, you stand on that and once you leave that pad, it'll start timing you so you can see how fast you're actually running. We also have two zip lines, a park. We have a few other pieces of equipment, a climbing net, and there's one of it geared for all ages. There's also a couple inclusive equipment pieces too."
She continued that they hope to eventually plant a memorial garden nearby, to not only remember Sawyer, but any loved ones that have died.
"Anybody who's lost a family member, they can go down there, have fun, still enjoy their family time and remember the ones they've lost. After we lost Sawyer, my biggest fear was people would someday forget him. That's why I wanted to do this," Lisa said. "But now standing here today, with all the love and support we have gotten from this community, I now no longer have that fear. I just hope that people will always remember him. He was a pretty cool little kid. This park is for our whole community."
Additional park information and updates are available on the Sawyer Overman Ninja Park Facebook page.
