By Marlo Lundak
Published: Oct. 18, 2023 at 10:19 PM CDT
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Two Omaha moms are on a mission.
They’ve partnered with the City of Omaha to create a park in the metro that would be accessible to all children. And in a matter of months, a pavilion overlooking Lake Zorinsky will be transformed.
“The design really includes consideration for all different types of access,” said Meaghan Walls, Co-founder of Imagine Inclusion.
The space will be turned into a $1.3 million park - a park that everyone can use.
“My son Brody was born with spina bifida which has caused some mobility challenges for him so he uses a wheelchair or sticks to get around, and when he was little, he had a little sister, there was nowhere where he could play independently,” said Lauren Citro, Co-founder of Imagine Inclusion.
Lauren and Meaghan met when their kids were young. The two had trouble finding a space where all the kids could play together with Brody.
“There are a lot of challenges with having a child that’s disabled, not having a place where he could be independent, because that’s our goal for him, to be as independent as possible and to get to play with his peers, and so to feel left out and on the sidelines felt very lonely,” Lauren said.
“I am an engineer by background and so my brain was like ‘Oh, that’s just a problem, we can find a solution!’ and so we went on this endeavor to partner with the City of Omaha Parks and Rec to create this project,” Meaghan said.
The two moms formed their non-profit, Imagine Inclusion, back in 2018. Along with it came the idea of the park, which has been in the works ever since.
Now, it’s finally time to start ordering equipment.
“Barrier-free in the sense of ground-level activities, equipment that’s ramped in multiple places,” said Meaghan, describing some of the future park’s amenities. “Just a lot of fun that parents and children can do together, schools can come, siblings, friend groups, birthday parties where you don’t have to worry that someone not going to be able to participate and have fun.”
“We are above and beyond ADA standards because that’s really a minimum,” Lauren said. “ADA standards say that woodchips are accessible, and my son getting through woodchips definitely shows that they are not accessible or inclusive.”
The moms say one of the community’s biggest requests for the park was a wheelchair swing.
“We ended up finding a socially inclusive wheelchair swing,” Meaghan said. “So there’s room to sit, stand, a bench, and places to hold onto so that you can have that socially inclusive experience as well.”
“While my son is a young child that is disabled, there are also like grandparents that would like to join in on the fun who may be disabled, or parents that are disabled that would like to be able to keep up with their kids or reach them if there were a safety concern,” Lauren said.
Construction on the park was slated to begin this fall, but after location adjustments, a slight redesign, and inflation, the price tag jumped about $475,000.
That meant the Imagine Inclusion team needed to do a little more fundraising.
But finally, they’re in the final push. An anonymous donor will match the last $100,000 needed, getting them across the finish line.
“I know our community is going to rise to the occasion and help us finish this playground. I think that it will taste really sweet to have this come to fruition,” Lauren said. “While this is a playground and you think children, there are a lot of other people that will benefit. t will be accessible, and will have shaded seating, and be a nice outing for any family, any person, any ability.”
“We were really, really intentional about the engagement and the types of activities that we chose at the park,” Meaghan said.
Construction on the park is set to begin in the spring of 2024.
To help them get the final bit of funding they need, Imagine Inclusion is hosting their annual fundraiser; Illuminate Inclusion.
The drive-through holiday light display is open to all people and will be hosted at the future site of the park at Lake Zorinsky. For more information on the event, and how you can donate, you can visit the Imagine Inclusion website here.
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