By Bridget Parmenter
Shrewsbury -The Shrewsbury Municipal Highway Garage was filled with the sound of happy chatter and laughter May 18 as children took the opportunity to climb on a variety of town vehicles.
The occasion, “Kids” Equipment Day, Featuring Drew's Dream,” was a fundraising event held in memory of the late Andrew “Drew” Stevens, who passed away in 2012 at age four. Monies raised at the event will be used to purchase a fire truck play structure and make the current playground at the Parker Road Preschool, where Drew was a student, accessible to children with special needs and mobility issues.
At the event, kids had a blast climbing on the vehicles but Drew was not far from the minds of those in attendance.
Emily, 11 and her brother Ryan, 9, came from Worcester.
“We came today because we wanted to support Drew,” Emily said. “My mom is friends with his mom and we thought it was important to be here.”
Julianna, 5, from Shrewsbury, attended with her father Ted, who said, “We found out about the event from our neighbor and thought it was important to come out and support this cause.”
Jennifer Vangel was Drew's teacher at Parker Road Preschool and helped to organize the fundraiser. As she watched her six-year-old son, Nolin, play on the vehicles, she reflected how she had been moved to help organize the day to “show Drew's power.”
“He impacted all of us, he was like the mayor of the school and everyone knew him,” she said. ?”We wanted to do something that we knew Drew would love.”
The event was also co-hosted by the Parker Road PTO, and town of Shrewsbury Parks and Recreation and Highway departments.
To learn more about Drew, visit http://drewslifelegacy.com.