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Ronan McElligott Memorial Playground is a volunteer fundraising effort to build a Boundless Playground, a fully handicap-accessible playground in Westford, Massachusetts. The playground will be located at Edwards Beach and is being built in memory of 5-month-old Ronan McElligott, who passed away in August 2007.
Going to a playground is an important part of growing up, something we all remember from our childhoods, and something that those of us with children of our own probably do frequently. But for one in ten children, going to a traditional playground can mean sitting on the sidelines and watching friends and siblings play.
It’s not always an obvious disability that makes using a traditional playground impossible. It’s not just the child in the wheelchair. It’s the developmentally disabled or autistic child. It’s the child with Down syndrome. It’s the child with visual or other sensory impairment. For all of these children, and our son Ronan, we’re creating a place to play.
Our project will be funded through private donations. We will need to raise approximately $280,000 to construct this playground. These funds will pay for universally accessible surfacing and pathways so that children with wheelchairs and walkers can get around safely. It will provide swings and bouncers with neck and back supports. It will include wide ramps instead of stairs so that every child can reach the highest play deck. And it will include special activities to support children with sensory or developmental disabilities.
Boundless Playgrounds is the first national non-profit dedicated to helping communities create extraordinary barrier-free playgrounds where children, with and without disabilities, can develop essential skills for life as they learn together through play. Visit www.boundlessplaygrounds.org to learn more.
UPDATE AS OF JULY, 2008. We’re pleased to announce that we have passed our halfway point, and have raised over $150,000! Thank you all for your support that has helped us reach this point. Together we will build this special playground that is long overdue in our community.
If you haven’t yet purchased tickets, I hope you will consider joining us on September 19th for An Evening of Boundless Inspiration (see attached boundless_inspiration_flyer-2.pdf). This will be our largest event yet - a dinner and auction event at the Westford Regency. And, we’re excited to have Travis Roy as our guest speaker. The former Boston University hockey player, paralyzed during his first college game, will speak about the challenges faced by young people with disabilities and their families.
For a sneak peak at some of the fabulous live and silent auction items that you’ll see at this event, please click here. item-listing.pdf
Because every child deserves a place to play.