The EQT Recreational Center, established in Waynesburg approximately one year ago, has a commitment to providing local families with opportunities for fun they might not have had otherwise, says Meghan Ricciuti, who has worked as a childcare lead at the center since it’s opening.

The EQT center was “most definitely” established in response to the apparent lack of family-oriented activities in the Waynesburg area, said Riccuiti.

“Everybody says that it’s really hard to find things to do as a family in Waynesburg, and are looking for somewhere safe to bring their kids, and our goal was to give them a chance to do that,” Riccuiti said.

In her position, Riccuiti works with co-workers to organize events for community members looking for family-friendly events within the area.

“We definitely want to have more things available in the community for kids of all ages and families in general,” Ricciuti said. “The programs we’re bringing in now are entirely focused on doing those kinds of things.”

The latest program to be coordinated in relation to this objective is the ‘Kid’s Night Out,’where children were welcomed to the rec center for a night of movies, free play, crafts and fun, Ricciuti said.

The EQT center has tried to plan the ‘Kid’s Night Out’ event previously, but didn’t have enough children registered to execute the event. These prior struggles, says Ricciuti, were related to a lack of advertising and promotion of the event.

The ‘Kid’s Night Out,’ held Nov. 7, had a final tally of approximately 60 children from the community registered to come, providing the parents five hours to shop and run errands during the event.

“It’s an extremely good turnout,” Ricciuti said.

Riccuiti isn’t sure what directly to attribute the sudden success to, but said it could be a combination of the time of year and improved advertising both on Facebook and in schools locally.

“We’re labeling it as a kid’s night out but we’re also advertising it towards the parents so they can enjoy the night out too as their kids are here,” Riccuiti said.

Through events such as the ‘Kid’s Night Out,’ Riccuiti says the EQT center is fulfilling its goal of benefiting the community.

“We definitely hope that we’re facilitating childhoods in Waynesburg,” Riccuiti said. “Ever since the building opened, personally, my children have benefitted by having these opportunities that they might not have had before.”

Playing with children and tailoring events to their interests isn’t outside of Ricciuti’s comfort zone. In her job, she cares for children six weeks old and older and works to create events at the center for children in the community.

“We want to offer kids something that they wouldn’t normally be able to get in Waynesburg without having to go out of town,” Ricciuti said. “We try to keep everything local and I hope that this building stays here and keeps bringing in families and making Waynesburg a little bit safer.”

But, Riccuiti said, at the heart of all of the events and goals of the rec center is to ensure that the children are truly enjoying themselves.

“If they’re happy then we’re happy,” Riccuiti said.