A fundraising campaign to build a universally accessible playground in Capitola is coming to fruition, with groundbreaking on Treasure Cove Playground set for for Oct. 28 at Jade Street Park in the city’s Jewel Box neighborhood.
Treasure Cove
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Can Treasure Cove become Santa Cruz County’s second truly inclusive playground?
Tricia Wiltshire, founder of LEO’s Haven at Chanticleer County Park, says children with disabilities are often unable to access traditional playgrounds, denying them a birthright of childhood: the ability to play with their friends and families. But Santa Cruz County is a community capable of rallying around a cause. She thinks that should be to create play spaces where everyone can belong – and she’s working to make that happen in Capitola, with Treasure Cove at Jade Street Park.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
I’m helping build a Capitola park for kids with special needs. My late daughter Kayla would have loved it.
Lisa Harvey-Duren lost her beloved daughter Kayla nearly five years ago to a genetic condition. During her short life, Kayla radiated joy and fought the odds to survive and thrive, Harvey-Duren writes. Kayla could have benefited from more inclusive playgrounds for children with special needs. Now, the City of Capitola is set to create one at Jade Street Park and nonprofit County Park Friends has launched a $1 million fundraising campaign to help cover the $1.82 million cost. Despite Americans with Disabilities Act regulations, most playgrounds are not accessible for kids with disabilities. “Can you simply imagine how discouraging that is for a child and their family?” Harvey-Duren says.