Organizers spearheading an effort to revive the Center for Creative Play are putting out the call for all parents to help in any way they can.

"We need ideas. We need to find parents. Your voice is critical to making this happen," said Zoe Weslowski, a Wilkinsburg mother of two boys, ages 2 and 4, who is one of the founders of Bring Back the Center for Creative Play.

The all-inclusive center that served 45,000 visitors a year closed abruptly on March 31 after operating for 13 years. It had started in a location at Station Square and then moved later to the vacant Foodland store in Swissvale, just off the Parkway East. Board members refused comment but people close to the center said it had experienced financial difficulties and other issues.

"We feel it's too important and too vital of a resource to throw up our hands and say, 'Oh well, it's a tough economy,' " said Weslowski, whose oldest boy has a form of autism.

She said the center drew families as far away as Johnstown in Cambria County and West Virginia and had become a model for other cities. "It puts Pittsburgh on the map in a very unique niche. To lose it in a city that prides itself as being family friendly is so sad."

Organizers are gearing up for a rally in front of the center from noon to 3 p.m. May 4 to bring attention to their efforts to reopen the center or to find a new way to provide a place for all children to play.

Many of the 17 people attending an initial organizing meeting last week have volunteered for various duties to help build up a grass-roots effort.

If you're interested in helping or have suggestions on what the group can do, you can contact Weslowski at bigoldhouse1@yahoo.com.