Girl Scout Gold Award project

Southgate girl makes swings accessible to children with disabilities

DAVE GORGON

Lilly Truel says she enjoys the feeling you get that you’re “flying” while gliding on a swing. As a Girl Scout, she set a goal to provide the same opportunities for children with handicaps and in wheelchairs. In May, she reached that goal.

The 15-year-old Southgate resident unveiled an ADA-compliant wheelchair platform swing that has been installed at Ray Torres Lions Park in her hometown.

The project has earned rave reviews and could lead to a Gold Award – Girl Scouting’s highest honor.

The Southgate Anderson High School ninth-grader is a member of Girl Scout Troop 76473. In fact, she has been a Girl Scout since she was in the first grade living in Naples, Florida. She already has earned the Girl Scout Bronze Award for her troop collecting pajamas for needy children and the Silver Award for painting picnic tables at Southgate parks.

The Gld Award recognizes girls who demonstrate extraordinary leadership through remarkable Take Action projects that have sustainable impact in their communities and beyond.

Lilly said her inspiration for the project came as she volunteered last summer at VIP Camp Connect for Special Needs Children.

“Often, I was placed one-on-one with the children in wheelchairs,” she said. “On park field trips, all the children in wheelchairs had to sit under the pavilion, missing out on all the playground fun.”

Lilly’s project required raising funds to purchase the wheelchair-accessible platform swing and an ADA-compliant adult harness swing, a campaign she calls Wings 4 Wheelchairs on her Facebook page.

Last November, the special-needs organization Downriver Panthers agreed to pay for the swings. The city of Southgate authorized placement of the swings at Lions Park, installed them and has since added a concrete pad leading from a walkway to make the swings easier to reach by wheelchairs.

Lilly also completed her goals of educating “the public about disability inclusion by working with my local city library and all the school librarians in my city to purchase and donate books that have special needs characters and topics related to people with special needs.”

In February, she donated 135 library books to seven schools and three public libraries, along with bookmarks, display posters and disabilityawareness calendars.

Lilly also created “an educational infographic about special needs and disability inclusion” to share on social media and with her community. She wrote several articles for newspapers and publications. In all, she spent about 120 hours on the project.

Lilly explained her project and thanked those who helped her along the way during an official ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 19 that featured Southgate Mayor Joseph Kuspa, City Council President Zoey Kuspa, Parks and Recreation Director Julie Goddard, the reigning Ms. Wheelchair Michigan Jaime Junior and Little Miss Michigan Wheelchair 2017-2018 April Shaw.

They were joined by Lilly’s parents Jodi and Chris; her mentor, Pattie Markiecki of Wyandotte; members of the VIP Camp Connect; her advisors and people from the community. Jodi

Truel is troop leader.

Council President Kuspa said she was honored that Lilly asked her to serve as a project advisor – “especially since I am a former Girl Scout.”

Goddard, Jennifer Campau of Camp Connect and local librarians were other advisors.

“I was more than happy to write a letter in support of her project,” Kuspa posted on her Facebook page. “Today, we saw her vision come to fruition with the dedication and grand opening of a wheelchair platform swing and an adult ADA harness swing. This is truly a great new addition to Lions Park that promotes inclusivity and belonging. Well done, Lilly.” Mayor Kuspa called Lilly “an exceptional young lady.”

“I commend her parents for instilling in her the value of volunteerism and community pride,” he said. “Lilly’s wheelchair swing project is just the latest example of her desire to help people and make her community a better place. Over the past few years, Lilly has also been involved with repainting our tables at our parks, cleaning up our nature trail, volunteering at our Animal Shelter and donating obstacle equipment for our new dog park. She is a shining example for others to follow.”

Shelly Loose, state coordinator for the Ms. Wheelchair Michigan pageant, also wrote a letter of support for the project.

“I thought it was wonderful that Lilly thought of individuals with disabilities and individuals different from herself,” Jaime Junior said. “I thought it was very inspiring. I appreciate the community thinking about us wheelers being able to enjoy the swing and playing in the park. That was what it was about. I was pleased to be there. I was honored she reached out to Miss Wheelchair Michigan.”

Junior, a 47-year-old Detroit resident, said she has been used a wheelchair on and off her entire life and full-time for the last nine years. She has cerebral palsy and, as she got older, she was diagnosed with osteoarthritis. She said giving birth to her son 23 years ago put more pressure on her spine than she could take.

“Lilly and her effort and heart were the stars of the show,” said Junior, who is advocacy coordinator for Disability Network Wayne County Detroit.

“Without a lot of rallying, I have never seen that happen. In Detroit, there may be one or two on the playground of a school. That a city would take this up and a Girl Scout troop would take this up, I think it’s rare.

“Hopefully, it becomes much more prominent because this is how we build a more inclusive community.”