A new state-of-the-art playground for children of all abilities is coming to Wildlife Prairie Park in Hanna City.
Wildlife Prairie Park chief executive officer Roberta English said the completion of the CEFCU Heritage Playground reflects a shared commitment between CEFCU and the park to provide enriching outdoor experiences for all visitors to the playground, which is compliant to the Americans with Disabilities Act.
“Wildlife Prairie Park is a cornerstone of the community and will continue to make great strides in updating our adventures to be a Park for All,” she added. “All people, all families, all groups, all abilities — everyone in current and future generations — will be able to enjoy all the magnificent things the Park has to offer.”
Wildlife Prairie Park and CEFCU will celebrate the playground’s grand opening Thursday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. The CEFCU Heritage Playground will feature inclusive swings, a zipline with an accessible seat, and other inclusive structures.
“We believe in supporting projects that make a lasting impact in our communities,” says CEFCU chief executive officer Matt Mamer. “We’re proud to partner with Wildlife Prairie Park on the CEFCU Heritage Playground — an inclusive outdoor space where children of all abilities can play, explore, and grow together.”
Wildlife Prairie Park raised $147,000 last year to kick off the project. The park sought advice from The Autism Collective, OSF Children’s Hospital, and Ms. Wheelchair USA 2024-2025 before altering the original design to include a partial rubberized surface, which increased the cost of the project.
“Oftentimes most expensive part of a project like this is the surface and what you don’t see underground, but it was necessary to make our playground truly accessible,” English said. “I’ll keep taking donations for this project until we are whole.”
The park also plans to transform its existing Gollywhopper Playground and the Train Depot Playground.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: ‘Park for all’: Wildlife Prairie Park set to open new inclusive playground
Reporting by Mike Kramer, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
