Family works to bring Levi's Adventure Trail to Sikeston

SIKESTON, Mo. — This weekend marked 11 years since the Collom family lost Levi. Levi Stephen Collom died of sudden unexpected death in childhood, also known as SUDC, on March 18, 2012.

The logo for Levi's Adventure Trail.Submitted

The logo for Levi's Adventure Trail.Submitted

Levi's family has kept his memory alive and ensured he will always be remembered. The family intends to bring Levi's Adventure Trail to Sikeston after opening an adventure path in November 2017 at Cape County Park South in Cape Girardeau.

The project is part of the regeneration of downtown Sikeston, which is full of activities. The playground expansion will cost $300,000.

The Levi's Adventure Trail in Sikeston will be an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant playground. Levi's Children's Charity has given $100,000 in playground equipment, as well as in-kind infrastructure support from the City of Sikeston.

The city has also applied for a 50% matching federal grant from the Land Water Conservation Fund. Should the grant be awarded, it will be an additional $150,000.

Family connection

Viney Mosley, Levi's maternal grandmother and president of Levi's Children's Charity, has lived in Cape Girardeau for several years, but is originally from Sikeston.

Mosley stressed the importance of providing a playground for children and families to enjoy, as well as bringing Levi's legacy to the people of Sikeston.

"Levi went to SAHEC (Southeast Missouri State University-Sikeston) for preschool and our family is from Sikeston, and Levi's dad, mom and uncle have business in town, " Mosley said. "And for me, I graduated in 1968, and in 1966, I was initiated into Red Peppers, and we always used to go downtown, to American Legion Park. The Cotton Carnival was downtown; the beauty pageants were all there, and the fish stand was downtown. It was a community gathering place downtown, and it still is to some extent. They still have a lot of events downtown."

She continued: "So, yeah, downtown Sikeston, that's what it is for me, it means growing up down here, and, like, my children, too, they grew up here. So it's important that we have something in Sikeston."

Ellie Collom, Levi's mother and vice president of Levi's Children's Charity, said she and her brother, Jim Woods, grew up in Sikeston, and that when they were younger, there were enjoyable activities for children downtown, so she wanted to create a fun location for the kids in the area.

"We grew up in Sikeston, and when we were younger, so many fun things happened downtown. Our dad also had a business downtown, which he opened in the '70s, and now we have our own businesses downtown, Quick Chek II and J&E Wholesale Outlets," Collom said. "We feel very connected to downtown, and we felt this was the perfect place to build it."

Mosley said they had always wanted to create a playground in Sikeston and knew that eventually they would, but they weren't sure when since it didn't feel like the perfect time, but it was her son, Levi's uncle, Woods, who piqued their interest even more.

Mosley also said Woods took his sons downtown to Sikeston one day to play in the new Depro Fountain, and Woods saw that there wasn't much else for youngsters to do.

"So Jim suggested it," Mosley said.

Mosley said adding the playground will also help the downtown area and make it even more beautiful.

"The playground will make the downtown beautiful," Mosley said. "It will help bring more people downtown, and it will be attractive."

Collom also said they approached the City of Sikeston in January 2022 to see whether they were interested in establishing a Levi's Adventure Trail playground.

"We went to the city to see if they would be open to our idea of adding a playground downtown, and, unknown to us, they had already been planning a park expansion down there, so they were as surprised as we were that we wanted to do it," Collom said.

Collom said she feels God is responsible for many of their successes in keeping Levi's legacy alive throughout the years.

"We call these God things," Collom said. "We've seen God work many miracles for us, and he has paved the way for these playgrounds. I couldn't tell you how many times during these last several years my mom and I have said: 'That was not a coincidence; that was a God thing.'"

A rendition of the possible playground for Levi's Adventure Trail in Sikeston, Missouri.Submitted

A rendition of the possible playground for Levi's Adventure Trail in Sikeston, Missouri.Submitted

Designing the playground

Mosley also said Collom is the one who designed the playground in Cape Girardeau, and she is designing the one in Sikeston.

"Ellie wanted to build something for other kids to play and have fun," Mosley said. "You know, we got to take Levi with us to the Current River and other stuff, so she really wanted to provide something unique for children that don't have the resources."

Collom discussed how she came up with the playground designs, which she said helped her get through the terrible days and allowed her to feel close to Levi.

"When designing the Cape playground, I had dreams of Levi playing, and I would see the things he was playing with and incorporated those into Levi's Adventure Trail. In one dream, he was sliding down a super tall, curvy slide, smiling ear to ear; this slide was so large you couldn't see where it began or ended," Collom said. "I remember asking him, 'Why is that slide so big?' In the dream, he told me, 'This is how the slides are in heaven.' So I added a large climbing structure with curvy slides in Cape, and felt that we needed to bring that same concept to Sikeston, but we added two tall structures instead of one. The rope walkway between the two structures will give the kids the feeling of walking on air or the clouds."

Collom said she felt something else would be a fun addition to this playground.

"Also, orange was Levi's favorite color, so we, of course, added orange," she said.

Coming together

Levi's Children's Charity was created after Levi's death in 2012, and the family and friends of Ellie Collom and her husband, Glenn, gathered together to build a playground to keep his memory alive.

"In the beginning, back then, we were doing all these fundraisers, at McDonald's and Taco Bell," Mosley said. "But doing all of this is just what helped us make it through it."

She continued: "Working toward all of that is something we just did. I don't know if I ever thought if it was ever possible. Nothing is really impossible when you have people involved, and I guess I never thought that we wouldn't raise it, I just believed we would."

Levi had many adventures in Sikeston, and his family said they're excited to offer his legacy to the area. Levi's Children's Charity is seeking $100,000 for the future playground and is asking others to think about a making a donation. To donate, visit https://levisadventuretrail.networkforgood.com/projects/182926-let-s-support-levi-s-adventure-trail-sikeston.

To learn more about Levi's legacy and the not-for-profit organization, visit the website at www.levisadventuretrail.com or Facebook page.