Grow Wabash County to Hold Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for Friendship Hill Inclusive Playground

WABASH COUNTY, IN (August 15, 2019) – Grow Wabash County is excited to announce the grand opening ceremony for Friendship Hill Inclusive Playground on Sunday, August 25, 2019 at 1:00pm.

Friendship Hill Inclusive Playground has been created for children and adults of all ages and all abilities. The idea stemmed from Shelly Myers, mom of a child with special needs, who was inspired after discovering a video about an inclusive playground. It was after viewing the video that it became her mission to build an inclusive playground in Wabash so there would be a space for people of all ages and abilities to play together. With the help of former Mayor Vanlandingham, and former Parks Superintendent, Todd Titus, the playground was officially accepted as part of the Stellar Communities designation.

“The development of Friendship Hill has been a labor of love for a lot of people in this community, and I am thrilled to see our collective vision finally come to fruition,” said Keith Gillenwater, President & CEO of Grow Wabash County. “Kudos to our community for showing the world that we are an inclusive community who values everyone, and this park is a testament to that sentiment.”

Since the beginning, it has been the committee’s mission to ensure that the playground be truly inclusive and not just accessible, meaning they didn’t want to just have play equipment with ramps. To make the space truly inclusive the design includes rubberized surfacing that is conducive to both feet and wheels, equipment that can be played on or around by everyone, and a layout that provides ease of access to everyone no matter the ability.

When asked to say a few words regarding the efforts that were involved in this project, committee chair, Shelly Myers, responded, “Our most heartfelt thanks go out to this community and our donors for supporting this playground. We were determined from the beginning to raise the funds for this project no matter its price tag and we are humbled and blessed to live in a community that sees the value of inclusive play and the impact it will have on our families and future generations.”

A special thanks has been made to the committee members who helped to make the Friendship Hill Inclusive Playground become a reality: Todd Titus, Clint Kugler, Kerri Mattern, Sam and Shelley Hipskind, Bryan Dillon, Keith Gillenwater, Patricia Plummer, Tenille Zartman, Kimberly Lundmark, Beth Miller, Kristi Church, Adam Hall, and Shelly Myers, with additional support from Mitch Figert, as well as Patty Grant from the Community Foundation of Wabash County.

The playground will exist as a part of the city parks department and will therefore follow the hours established for all city parks.

“The vision of the families to complete Friendship Hill as another wonderful asset to attract people to the City of Wabash, is nothing short of phenomenal,” said Mayor Scott Long. “The hard work and dedication of many within and outside our community is a testament to philanthropy of our people not witnessed in much of our State. The City of Wabash looks forward to many years of inclusive play, by multiple generations of people, from throughout Indiana.”

The grand opening ceremony will be held on Sunday, August 25th at 1:00pm at 410 South Carroll Street in downtown Wabash. Activities celebrating the grand opening will begin at noon, more details are available on the It’s More Than a Playground Facebook page.

For more information please contact Grow Wabash County at 260.563.5258 or e-mail at info@growwabashcounty.com

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