wooden picnic tables Wooden picnic tables at the Chesapeake Therapeutic Riding center in Abingdon, MD. (Photo courtesy of CTR)

The Park and Facilities Catalog is proud to be the supplier of Wooden Picnic Tables for an organization with a very worthy purpose.

That organization is the Chesapeake Therapeutic Riding center in Maryland.

The CTR has a unique approach to help people with differing abilities.

They incorporate the use of horses.

Their mission statement is "to deliver healing and learning to individuals and groups whose minds, bodies and spirits will benefit from the transformative connection between people and horses."

If you watch the videos on their website, you can see the results are amazing.

When people interact with horses, something wonderful happens. According to staff members, "people feel good about themselves."

There are mothers who appear in the videos who are happy to see the positive results taking place within their children. People with physical, mental, and/or cognitive challenges report that adaptive riding has helped them tremendously.

It's a great combination.

wood picnic tables Wood picnic table

Wooden picnic tables added to facility

The center recently added four 8-feet wooden picnic tables with ADA access. The ADA design provides a two-foot extension of the tabletop which allows a person in a wheelchair to sit at the table. The table has an easy walk-in design so there is no need to climb over the seats.

Cathy Schmidt, Founder and Executive Director, said the tables replaced a mishmash of folding tables and lawn chairs.

"It was important for us to have great picnic tables to enhance the experience of all who participate in programming, whether they are visitors, clients or volunteers," she explained.

Clients range from young children to older adults. The center also works with the VA Maryland Health System in Perry Point, MD and assists as many as 75 veterans. From time to time, the center also hosts "lunch and learn" events with members of the community.

In fact, how the tables were acquired is a great testimony to the wonderful support that local businesses provide in this community.

Cathy said Keller Williams American Premier Realty contacted CTR to see if they wanted to be a recipient of their event called "RED Day." That day is Keller Williams' annual day of service and stands for Renew, Energize and Donate.

One of the people involved with the realty firm knew someone at the local Chesapeake Bank that wanted to participate in RED Day. The bank found about the need for the picnic tables and purchased all four of them for CTR!

Not only did they pay for the tables, the bank employees also agreed to assemble the tables as well. What a great contribution!

ADA wood picnic tables have many attributes

Cathy said they chose the wooden picnic tables for the following reasons:

  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Cost-effective
  • Weather-resistant
  • Well built
  • Plan to paint or stain
  • Easy to assemble
  • Can be easily moved to different locations on the grounds
  • Not so light that they can be easily stolen
  • The appearance fits in with the rustic look of the riding center
  • They can easily place a pop-up tent over the tables

"Our overall experience was wonderful, and we will order from you again should the opportunity present itself," Cathy added. "We will also recommend you to anyone who is looking for quality-built products!"

"It's an honor to be the provider of picnic tables for CTR," said Jessica Kyriakos, Vice President and General Manager of The Park and Facilities Catalog. "This is certainly a very worthwhile organization providing a wonderful service to people and families. We applaud the work of their staff and wish them all the best in the future."

These particular wood picnic tables come with kiln-dried southern yellow pine for the seat and table. A center channel is added for the three-board top which avoids warping and results in a stronger surface.

Braces from the end frame attach to this centerpiece for additional strength. The frame is 16-gauge OD steel tubing with a powder-coated finish that can be either brown or green. Galvanized carriage bolts that won't rust or corrode attach the planks sturdily to the frames.

Since 2001, The Park and Facilities Catalog has been a major supplier of wooden picnic tables and different types of picnic tables to parks, schools, colleges, retail centers, office buildings and other facilities around the US.