Explore This Playground
Katrina Vince of Henderson, Tennessee, believes that all children have the right to play. When she realized that there was no place for all area children to do so, she set out to do something about it. Inspired by a little girl named Chelsey, who uses a wheelchair, Vince began looking for ways to create a play area that would be accessible to all children.
"Chelsey is such an inspiring kid. We really wanted to create a playground where children of all abilities could come and play together," says Vince.
She found her solution in a playground by Little Tikes Commercial.
In April of 2008, Vince got permission from the City of Henderson to begin raising funds for a playground at Gene Record Park. Then she got to work, collecting private donations from the community, including a $75,000 matching donation from the Clayton Family Foundation. Just over one year later, despite the economic downturn, Vince and her "Let's All Play" group had raised $180,000.
With money raised, Vince turned to David Jones of Mid-South Recreation, Inc., a Little Tikes representative, to create the playground. "I had other people and other companies to call, but once I met David, there was no calling anyone else," says Vince. "He worked and worked to fit as much into this playground as possible. He did absolutely everything he could to put things in that the kids would love; he really made it happen for us."
Vince and Jones created a design that includes a KidBuilder swing set – Chelsey's personal favorite – along with a Colossal Slide, telescope and a variety of colorful KidBuilder components. The play structures are connected by a series of ramps set atop 4500 square-feet of rubber surfacing, making the playground 100 percent accessible.
By July 2009, Vince's vision had become a reality, and area children, including Chelsey, have been playing on the equipment at the Clayton Family Playground ever since.
"Everybody uses it, and we absolutely love it," says Vince. "We're such a small community, this is a huge deal. There's just not anything like this in the area. People come from all over to play here, and we're thrilled."