$50,000 campaign launched to make Swedetown Chalet fully accessible

What’s happening: The Swedetown Trails Club is raising $50,000 to expand and fully renovate the welcoming chalet into the area’s only universally accessible recreation and adaptive sports facility. By moving all common spaces to the ground floor and removing physical barriers, this project will provide much-needed room for a growing number of visitors while ensuring the chalet is completely barrier-free for everyone, regardless of ability.

Background: Thanks to a dollar-for-dollar match from the Public Spaces Community Spaces program, contributions will be doubled to help bring the community expansion across the finish line. Over the past three years, Calumet Township, the Swedetown Trails Club, and community partners have successfully secured $1 million of a $1,100,000 goal—including a generous $400,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Trust Fund. Organizers are working to raise the final $100,000 and complete this project.

About the chalet: Built in the early 1990s, the Swedetown Chalet serves as a year-round hub for outdoor recreation. In the winter, it hosts cross-country skiers, snow bikers, snowshoers, sledders, school field trips, and birthday parties. During the summer, the facility transitions to support mountain bikers, hikers, runners, volunteer trail crews, and competitive races.

What they’re saying: “Alongside Calumet Township, we’ve been planning this project for several years,” said Larry Zurawski, president of the Swedetown Trails Club. “This final push will allow everyone to help make this a reality.”

About the program: Public Spaces Community Places is a collaborative effort of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the Michigan Municipal League and Patronicity, in which residents can use crowdfunding to be part of the development of strategic projects in their communities and be backed with a matching grant from MEDC.

What’s next: So far, the Swedetown Trails Club has raised $22,475 toward the $50,000 goal. If the campaign reaches its crowdfunding goal of $50,000 by August 20, the MEDC’s Public Spaces Community Places program will provide an additional $50,000. To donate, go to https://patronicity.com/chalet.