Play & Park Structures Helps Make "A Dream Come True" Playground a Reality

Online, September 22, 2010 (Newswire.com) - The Grand Opening took place on April 30th with a ribbon-cutting attended by many community members and local officials.

This is where the Troop found their inspiration. The Troop wanted to provide an inclusive play environment where children of all abilities truly had the opportunity to play side-by-side. Troop Leaders, Anita Burner and Barbara Harkins, worked in the field of special education their entire professional careers. The Troop had seen their mothers and Troop Leaders struggle to find accessible playgrounds that removed both physical and social barriers for their students. They embarked on a nine year project to build a universally designed playground so all children in Harrisonburg and the surrounding areas could play and have fun together.

The Troop had been working on finding a playground company that showed leadership in the area of inclusive play and who truly understood their goal; after all, this project was getting bigger by the day and it was just the vision of a few young Girl Scouts and their Troop Leaders. After reviewing several proposals, Southern Playground with Play & Park Structures was selected to make the project a reality. Scott DuBois of Southern Playground commented,

"I knew from the beginning that this playground was going to be very special. We always appreciate the opportunity to create truly inclusive play spaces where children of all abilities can play together and this playground is truly A Dream Come True."

The next step for the Troop was to raise the funds for the playground. They were deeply committed to make their dream a reality, so they applied for grants, held bake sales, cookies sales, and worked with local businesses and churches to request donations. After many years, the troop finally raised the needed funds and had found the future home of A Dream Come True Playground.

A Dream Come True is much more than just a playground. It not only features your typical belt swings, but also, Made-for-Me Swings in two different age appropriate sizes; which help maintain a neutral body position, so that children needing additional support can comfortably stay engaged in play for longer periods.
The Grand Opening was held on Friday, April 30th and brought people from all over the community to help celebrate the event. The ceremony kicked off with an Arbor Day celebration then continued with a dedication from Anita and Barbara and ended with an official ribbon cutting ceremony that included all of the girls that initiated the project, as well as, the key contributors from the Park & Rec Department, Land Planning and Design, and Play & Park Structures.

Anita exclaimed,
"This inclusive playground would not have become a reality if not for the Girl Scouts dedication, as well as, the support and determination of so many individuals, including, the efforts of the Harrisonburg Department of Parks and Recreation, the City of Harrisonburg, Land Planning and Design and Play & Park Structures. "

A Dream Come True Playground makes a fundamental statement about how they each valued play for all children and their commitment to ensuring that everyone had a safe, fun place to engage in healthy play outdoors.

For more information about this inspirational site, visit the website at http://www.adreamcometrueplayground.org/ or find A Dream Come True on Facebook.

To learn more about Play & Park Structures and the playgrounds on this site, visit http://www.playandpark.com.

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About PlayCore
PlayCore is a leading designer, manufacturer, and marketer of a broad range of commercial and consumer playground and park equipment, surfacing, site amenity, fitness, and related play products. The business operates under the GameTime, UltraPlay, GT Grandstands, and Play & Park Structures commercial brands, the award-winning consumer brand of Swing-N-Slide, the surfacing brand of TotTurf, and the youth fitness brand of Everlast Climbing Industries. PlayCore's corporate headquarters are located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. To learn more visit www.playcore.com.