Our Inclusive Playground Is Soon to Be A Reality

Nick Leluika, Swenke Special Projects Coordinator

Hopefully, by now, the majority of the Fairfield community knows that there is an effort to raise funds for an inclusive playground within Fairfield, to be built alongside an existing playground at Swenke Elementary. The playground will be thoughtfully designed to offer a play space for children of varying abilities and will foster a place of acceptance, inclusion, and learning. The inclusive playground has been labeled as a Legacy Project and one that was anticipated to be years in the making. It became apparent that this project had strong backing from the onset and would gain momentum quickly. I have been taken aback by the initiative of so many people who have found meaningful ways to contribute. We have seen support across the Fairfield community in all shapes and sizes. The Women's Club of Fairfield came together and put on a bake sale at the Fairfield Athletic Club to raise funds. They also invited us to host a booth at their 4th of July event to bring awareness to the project and some of our community’s life skills students participated in the Independence Day parade. Local municipal utility districts invited us to their board meetings to share our project plans and they have generously pledged monetary contributions. Yogurtland of Fairfield hosted a fundraising night in July. There was a great turnout and Yogurtland pledged a percentage of the proceeds to go to directly to the inclusive playground project. There has been unbelievable support and encouragement throughout the community. I’d like to send a special shout out to the community's children and youth. A heartfelt thank you goes to the young community citizens who have hosted their own bake sales to raise money, the kids who have walked the neighborhoods asking for donations, and others who have forgone birthday presents this summer and instead requested donations for the playground. These acts of service and charity amongst our youth are a testament to the character and spirit of Fairfield. As a special needs parent, I firmly believe that it takes a community (village) to accomplish all that is required of us. I'm sure many others, no matter their circumstance, feel the same. I feel confident in saying, this summer, we have felt the presence of the village. In an effort to keep everyone in this village up to date, we'd like to share that as of the end of July, we have raised 85% of our total goal needed to get this project officially started. We are within reach of making this dream a reality. There are some “irons in the fire” and we will see how they turn out. In the meantime, we still need your help. Every dollar counts and will make a difference, so please consider contributing to this amazing project. I'd love our next update to be the one celebrating the groundbreaking of the playground. We look forward to the day when kids of all abilities have a place close to home where they can play, learn, and grow together, no matter their natural ability. Thank you to all who have supported us thus far! Please get in touch with us with questions or for more information at Specialprojects@ swenkepto.org.