Project Playhouse at Fifth Third Field
IL Toledo Mud Hens

Project Playhouse at Fifth Third Field

Published on June 5, 2026 under International League (IL)
Toledo Mud Hens News Release


Local organizations build playhouses at Fifth Third Field for Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity's Project Playhouse.

Led by Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity, hundreds of volunteers from a variety of organizations across Toledo met on the Fifth Third Field main concourse Thursday to build 30 playhouses for local families.

This Playhouse Project launched nine years ago and was founded by Erin McPartland, Maumee Valley Habitat executive director. From yellow wooden doors, to pink roof tops, to swing sets, McPartland said Habitat has raised nearly two million dollars through the Project, and builds 70 playhouses per year.

"Every year it gets better and it's just amazing to see," McPartland said. "Teams love doing it, the sponsors love it, and the kids love it."

The Project motto is "playhouses build big houses" as funds raised through the Project support Maumee Valley Habitat's mission of building homes for families in need. About 380 families are signed up to have homes built, according to Bonnie Berland, Maumee Valley Habitat development director.

Organizations involved with the building process included the Toledo Mud Hens, The Andersons, Toledo Ice Cream, Columbia Gas of Ohio, Hollywood Casino Toledo, and more. Volunteers started building the playhouses around 8:30 a.m., with families arriving by 4 p.m. to transport them home.

"The best part of the day honestly is the children's happy faces, they're so excited," Reilley Schafer, Maumee Valley Habitat development manager, said. "They're just so overjoyed."

Families who were gifted playhouses signed up online, providing details about their child's favorite colors, television series, or movies. Thursday's finished playhouses showcased themes including trains, dinosaurs, Minecraft, firefighters, candy, and others.

Not only does the Playhouse Project uplift Toledo families, but allows employees from organizations to connect with their coworkers for a beneficial cause.

"This gives us another outlet to showcase creativity as a team," LT Smith, Mud Hen's Youth Sports Coordinator, said. "It's a great team building activity, as showcased by all the 30 other groups."

For multiple years, the Playhouse Project has been hosted on the Hens main concourse, with each participating organization having a large area to build and paint.

"The Hens are an absolute joy to work with," Schafer said. "I've grown up coming to baseball games here. I tear up thinking about it because it's such a special place for Toledo, and it's so special that we get to do this here."

When the children arrived to see their new playhouses, smiles, laughs, and celebrations echoed throughout the ballpark.

"We don't do a special event, we don't have a golf outing, or a gala," McPartland said. "What we have is playhouses. I think that this really inspires people to get involved. There's so many different ways that this gives back to the community."

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International League Stories from June 5, 2026


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