Boundless Playground to open Friday at Elvehjem Elementary
Madison area children will get the chance Friday to enjoy the state's first-ever Boundless Playground.
Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and Madison Metropolitan School District Superintendent Dan Nerad are expected to be in attendance at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday at 5:30 p.m. at the barrier-free, inclusive playground located at Elvehjem Elementary School, 5106 Academy Drive.
Organizers of LVM Dreams Big, a nonprofit group, raised more than $200,000 to construct a playground that allows children with disabilities to play alongside other children. There are approximately 100 of these playgrounds nationwide.
Some of the equipment at the Boundless Playground includes music panels, five slides and ramps that will allow children to reach the highest platforms.
The project took more than a year to complete and got off the ground when members of the Elvehjem community finished third out of 900 entries in a national essay contest. Organizers, including Shelly Trowbridge, Keli Betsinger and Darcy Burke, collected 3,000 signatures and visited 30 playgrounds with their contest entry.
Burke, who is LVM Dreams Big's vice president of community outreach, said she is thrilled with the completion of the project.
"It is fundamental to our mission that we show our children that you can dream big, and with hard work and a lot of fun, you can get the job done," Burke said in a statement.
Festivities at Friday's event include a picnic, live music from Mama Digdown's Brass Band at 5:30 p.m. and the ribbon-cutting ceremony at 6 p.m. The public is asked to park on Academy Drive or behind the school on Painted Post Road.
Image courtesy of www.playgroundsupport.com
A rendering of Elvehjem Elementary School's Boundless Playground is shown.
