Wichita-area Rotary Clubs and PEC Build Community, One Table at a Time

Demonstrating the power of community collaboration, more than 30 volunteers from Wichita-area Rotary Clubs donated more than 200 hours to refurbish 38 picnic tables for Exploration Place, significantly upgrading the museum’s outdoor amenities. Instead of replacing the tables – each of which could cost nearly $7,000 new – Rotary volunteers stepped in to restore them, saving Exploration Place more than $50,000.

“Wichita area Rotary Clubs look to support other community organizations like EP who are doing big things to increase quality of life here,” said Shea Zuckerman, a Rotary member who helped lead the project. “The Downtown Club partnered with other area clubs to provide labor and resources to refurbish the museum’s picnic tables by tapping our network of talented people and businesses such as PEC. We organized a series of weekend ‘build days’ where Rotarians came out to break down the tables, then replace the wood with new beams, giving many more years of life to the dozens of tables you see around the museum property.”

Professional Engineering Consultants (PEC) donated the warehouse space used for the restoration work, while Star Lumber provided transport, making 10 trips to return the finished tables to Exploration Place.
“We’re incredibly grateful to the Wichita Rotary volunteers for their hard work refurbishing our picnic tables,” said Adam Smith, president and CEO of Exploration Place.

“Thanks to their time and effort, these tables are as good as new – saving Exploration Place more than $50,000 compared to purchasing replacements. This generous contribution will be a major enhancement to our outdoor expansion, opening next year, and will help us better serve families for years to come.”

The project highlights the strong partnership between local civic groups and businesses in supporting Wichita’s community institutions. The newly restored tables are now in place and ready to welcome visitors this summer.