Rotary Club of Aurora
Red Tailed Hawk Inclusive Park
At the end of last year, Patti Bateman and I began to talk about the Aurora Rotary Foundation and how our club could help the Aurora Community. It was clear to both of us that an inclusive park for students with disabilities would be something the Aurora Community could use for its children. Our dream was to make this a park where all students could play together, hence an inclusive park. There are very few places that a disabled child can play and be with friends in a safe environment. We asked Rick Richard in our club to join us with this idea, and together we approached the City of Aurora’s Parks, Recreation and Open Space (PROS) Department to see if they might have some space in one of Aurora ‘s Parks that we could put an inclusive play area into. We met with several people in the City of Aurora and found that a family had also approached the city as they had a son who was in a wheelchair and wondered if an inclusive playground could be built in Aurora for their son. They had also contacted the Make a Wish Foundation, and together they approached the City of Aurora. The City of Aurora, with our Club’s commitment and pledge of funds, applied for an Open Space grant with Arapahoe County. They learned this August they were going to receive this grant.
Through pledged donations from the Rotary Club of Aurora and members, in-kind donations from the City of Aurora, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the Arapahoe County Open Space Grant, our Rotary Club and the City of Aurora are partnering to build a playground that enables side-by-side play between able-bodied persons and those with disabilities.
