Better Together Playground unveiled

New inclusive playground includes equipment all children can enjoy
The Willard Parks celebrated the grand opening of their new Better Together Playground, a 10,000-square-foot all-inclusive playground, at Jackson Street Park on Saturday, June 15. An estimated 400 people attended the event, which included a scavenger hunt, children’s activities, food trucks and a ribbon cutting ceremony which officially opened the playground.
Jason Knight, director of Willard Parks, said the park has specialized play equipment that all children can use.
“We have a zero-entry Merry-Go-Round,” he said. “We have many ramps that are accessible that lead to gliders, and we have swings. We’ve got many pieces of equipment that incorporate the seven principles of inclusive play … (and) toys for children with hearing or visual impairment.”
Brian and Karen Campbell came to the dedication ceremony with their children. Karen said that the new playground exceeded her expectations.

“I’m impressed,” she said. “It’s bigger than I expected, and it has a lot of different areas where kids can play.”
“We’ve been to several of these types of playgrounds,” Brian added, “and this is one of the largest ones I’ve ever seen.”
Caleb Campbell, 12, said he was also pleased with the new project.
“I’m impressed,” he said. “There are so many activities for everyone.”
Kelley Sykes, who was also at the event, said she was happy to see the Better Together Playground come to fruition.
“I think this is the best thing that the community could have done,” she said, “because there’s no one who can be left out.”
Knight said the efforts to begin building the playground started about five years ago.
“In 2019, I was approached by a group of parents that said, ‘we need some inclusive equipment.’ And I (told) them that I agreed, but we didn’t have the funding for it. And they said, ‘if we put together a nonprofit to help raise funds, will you help us establish some equipment in the park for children with disabilities?’ And it really started from there as a labor of love with the Better Together Foundation that was actually formed to support this project.”
The playground was built at a cost of about $800,000, Knight said, with the funds coming from various organizations and individuals.
“We received funds from the Greene County Commission,” he said. “We received funds from Abilities First, Community Foundation of the Ozarks, the Sunderland Foundation and then many, many small contributions from our local community.”