Ribbon cutting to be held for ‘Joy Playground’ in Atascadero
–The City of Atascadero and the Parents for Joy organization have announced the much anticipated Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting ceremony for the beautiful, new, and all-inclusive Joy Playground; which will be held on Friday, April 5, 2019 from 4 to 7 p.m.
The Joy Playground is located at Colony Park next to the Community Center, at 5599 Traffic Way in Atascadero. This event will include terrific live music by the Swing for Joy Sax Quartet for everyone to enjoy. There will be lots of great food and beverages available for purchase, including a delicious BBQ meal to be provided by the Atascadero Kiwanis and Rotary groups, and additional food and beverages from Orange Dog Café and Paradise Ice. There will be free adult beverages for those over age 21. Donations are encouraged.
The new Joy Playground features many different slides, including stainless steel slides which are a necessity for those with cochlear implants; lots of swings plus those that feature a harness system to help keep children or adults upright and safe; a teeter–totter that has a tactile face for those with visual impairment or sensory issues; a custom accessible treehouse with slides and lots of fun panels to play with, which has been designed to enable children who do not have the physical ability to climb up a ladder can feel what it’s like to be high up in a tree and still be completely safe; plus much more! The playground area ground surfacing is a universal ground cover, which makes the entire playground area fully accessible. This playground has been meticulously designed for not only those with special needs, but for everyone to enjoy.
The City of Atascadero has been working with Parents for Joy for five years on bringing this playground project to fruition. Parents for Joy is a group of local parents, families and teachers who live with or are associated with children with special needs; who envisioned a playground that would enhance the involvement and safety of children with special needs as well as providing the ability for adult parents, grandparents and other adults with special needs, to have access to their children while at play. Since 2014, Parents For Joy has been raising funding for the project through local area fundraisers and events; working with organizations like Atascadero Kiwanis, Rotary of Atascadero, 100+ Women Who Care; and through a variety of grants. In 2017, the City of Atascadero awarded $505,000 in Parkland Facilities Fees toward the Joy Playground project.
Continued community support for the project is still needed. There is a Go Fund Me account which can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/parentsforjoyatascadero. Parents for Joy can be contacted by email at [email protected]. For more information about this very unique project, please visit www.parentsforjoy.org.
