Letter to the Editor

Money being raised for wheelchair-accessible swing

Sunday, September 20, 2015

To the editor:

People take for granted life's simplest pleasures on a daily basis. For instance, when you take your children to the park and watch them play. The thought probably never crosses your mind how wonderful something as small as swinging on a swing set is for them.

Many kids and even adults in our community have never been able to understand the excitement of feeling the wind rush around you while on a swing. With the help of the Brazil City Parks Board, I am hoping to change that. I recently proposed installing an ADA wheelchair accessible swing to the beautiful Forest Park. The board members welcomed the idea with open arms. They shared my enthusiasm in hoping to provide that thrill to those bound to a wheelchair.

Through much research, I found the perfect swing that accommodates not only children but adults. The swing is specially designed to pull the wheelchair onto it and lock into position making it a safe for all to enjoy. The board blew me out of the water when they offered to pay for the swing if I would raise the funds for the installation. I am hoping to make the area wheelchair friendly with not only the swing, but an extended accessible picnic bench. This has been an aspiration of mine after the idea was brought to me by Dave Lawson, whose son suffers from Cerebral Palsy and is confined to a wheelchair.

I am thrilled to see the wheels in motion, and things finally coming together. All donations will be used in the installation, concrete walk way/base for the swing, and the accessible picnic table. Any excess money raised will be placed in a fund for the use of additional wheelchair accessible play structures. I appreciate your time and consideration, if you would like to make a denotation checks can be made payable to The Brazil City Parks Department, or online at www.gofundme.com/ua3qkexj.

Jennifer Royer

Brazil