Challenger Playground
A nonprofit fundraiser supporting
Eatontown Lions Club FoundationChallenger Playground will be an all inclusive playground to be enjoyed by all children.
$13,290
raised by 167 people
$250,000 goal
THANK YOU ALL!!!
We are so very grateful to all who have shown their support for our project. We still have a way to go to achieve goal but your generous donations have brought us much closer. Many thanks.
WE NEED YOUR HELP DURING THIS CAMPAIGN!
Have you ever seen a child in a wheelchair watching his/her siblings having fun on a playground?
Serving the Eatontown, NJ community since 1948, the Lions Club believes that children with a developmental or other disability should have the same opportunity to enjoy safe and healthy playground experiences as those without a disability.
Installation of the Eatontown Lions Club Foundation’s (a 501(c)(3) organization) Challenger Playground will give that wheelchair bound child and others the chance to participate.
About 1 in 6 (17%) children aged 3–17 years were diagnosed with a developmental disability, as reported by parents, during a study period of 2009-2017. These included autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, blindness, and cerebral palsy, among others. Monmouth County has 3122 or 4% of children ages 5 to 14 with developmental disabilities that could be served including the surrounding municipalities based on the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 5 year data (2015-2019).
With only two all-inclusive playgrounds in the five municipalities surrounding Eatontown there is a shortage of playgrounds available to children with developmental disabilities.
Our goal is to provide a playground that will remove the barriers to exclusion, both physical and social, providing a “sensory rich” experience for all children. A secondary objective is to increase community interaction among Eatontown’s diverse population through children to create a more vibrant and understanding place to live.
The Challenger Playground will be installed in a 4,500 square foot area of Leon Smock 80 Acre Park in Eatontown, NJ. It is centrally located to support children of six municipalities with a population of over 74,000.
At an estimated cost of $250,000 the Playground will have twenty-one play activities that meet or exceed ASTM F1487-17 playground safety standard; US CPSC guidelines and conform to ADA Accessibility Guidelines.
The playground is designed for family participation with tables and benches to be enjoyed by family members as the children enjoy the playground. There are two wheelchair accessible “spinners”, a braille board; chimes and drums to be played. Ramps that will provide access to a large spinner will allow children with paralysis, whether walking or in a wheelchair, to enjoy the same experiences as other children.
As one mother said recently:
Children with a diverse range of abilities playing together in the same space will develop a sense of equality and togetherness they will never experience if they remain separated in play. It allows them to interact with one another, exposing their differences, while highlighting their similarities, helping them to develop an awareness, respect and understanding of people with all abilities.