SNAP aims to build a "playground for all"

By Staff
Haley Aaron, Hartselle Enquirer
Charles Howse wants his grandsons to have a childhood without boundaries.
That is why he and those involved with the SNAP program are working to remove the obstacles that prevent his grandsons and 1,700 other Morgan County children from enjoying a day at the playground. Howse's twin grandsons, who are confined to wheelchairs, face numerous obstacles that make playing at most playgrounds difficult. The goal of SNAP, or the Special Needs Accessible Playground initiative, is to create a playground which will be accessible for all children to use and enjoy.
"This park will not only give them access to everything but it will actually be things that they can actually utilize. We've got one swing that will actually hold a wheelchair and the whole thing will swing, wheelchair and all. There's a lot of stations along the way that they can stop at in the wheelchair and play with whatever that particular station is," Howse said.
"They will feel like they're part of this playground, I think, and they can maneuver their own way around."
The SNAP program began in 2002 as a Civitan Club project and in 2006, it became a joint civic club effort when the Rotary, Kiwanis, and Lions clubs of Hartselle joined the initiative. Several other sponsors have since been added. They include Wal-Mart, United Way and Hartselle Medical Center.
Both Howse and SNAP Project Manager Bob Francis spoke about the outpouring of community involvement and volunteer participation in the project.
"We have 25 to 30 volunteers who have been in this core group, and I think to see the comradeship developing in this group, along with the selflessness and dedication of time and energy, has been very rewarding to the entire group," Francis said.
Howse recalled other fundraising efforts he has been involved in while serving as an insurance agent in Hartselle.
"I've been in business here for 36 years and I've been involved in a number of fundraising projects," he said. It's exciting to me that we have such a broad interest in this. I can't ever remember being involved in anything with that much support, so it's an exciting thing. "
While there are other special needs playgrounds in the state, none have utilized all of the equipment that will be used at the new playground.
"We are maximizing the equipment that satisfies the Americans with Disabilities Act," Francis said. "We're going to provide not only accessibility for handicapped children, but it provides useability. Play stations that utilize braille and sign language will be included and swings that can hold wheelchairs. After examining other playgrounds and consulting with a company that specializes in playground design, several other concerns and needs were addressed in designs for the playground. For example, designers choose to make all of the park's slides out of stainless steel, because slides made from other material may cause static that will interfere with children's hearing aids.
The primary focus of the project is creating a useable and innovative playground, but those involved with the program hope that it will also serve as an inspiration to other communities. The playground, which will cover an area of 90 by 150 feet, is touted as "Alabama's premier boundless playground". "We hope to stimulate other communities in Alabama, in the Southeast and even the nation to work to serve the needs of these
special children," Francis said. "This is going to be a model facility to encourage other communities in the region to do something, maybe not of this magnitude, but for their own community where those children will not be overlooked."
As part of this effort, the group is keeping records of the project's development. As Howse explained, "We're documenting and trying to keep a good history of everything we do so if another community were to contact us after this project is over, they'll be able to benefit from our experience. We can say 'here's how we went about doing it' and maybe save them some time and money."
Marketing and fundraising campaigns are currently being developed and campaigns will soon begin in earnest. However, many contributions have already been received and the project has collected about $30,000 in funds.
The estimated cost to complete the park is $600,000.
Events ranging from a bridal event to the Wings of Thunder bike run have already collected donations to help the project. The most recent event was a bake sale held at Wal-Mart on June 16. Wal-Mart matched the proceeds earned during the event. Two cookout/car washes at Wal-Mart are scheduled for June 22 and July 20 and a benefit Elvis concert will be presented on July 28.
Fundraising events are planned throughout the year until Nov. 1. Equipment will be purchased and stored over the winter. Construction of the playground will begin in February, and will hopefully be completed in May 2008.