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A little bit of hope
By Anthony Tosie, atosie@starlocalnews.com, @anthonytosie on Twitter
One of the great things about Frisco residents is that when they believe in something, they'll go all out for it, and they're even willing to get their hands dirty in the process -- literally.
That's the case of Hope Park, an extension of Frisco Commons that will allow children with special needs to play side-by-side with those without special needs. And the park is about to be a reality after many years of planning.
Though it was originally set to be built in The Trails of West Frisco, a neighborhood by the Frisco-Little Elm border, local support has been so abundant that it moved to its new location. That was achieved thanks to the support of the city as well as local businesses.
Jenni Jensen, the president of the nonprofit behind Hope Park, told me in June of last year that the idea for the park came to her when one of her children was unable to play with her siblings at another park.
"The idea for Hope Park came to me because my youngest daughter Nora, who has Down syndrome, broke her leg and was confined to a wheelchair for six weeks," she said at the time. "In that time I got a glimpse of what [some] families go through everyday -- my daughter could not play with her brothers and sister at the park. It broke my heart to think some children just couldn't play together at the park [and instead] just have to watch."
Some of the features of Hope Park will include rubber flooring instead of mulch and equipment that is lower to the ground, which will create easier wheelchair accessibility. Other members of the nonprofit behind Hope Park told me they're going above and beyond federal accessibility requirements to make sure children of all backgrounds can play at the park.
From April 5-14, a "build week" will take place at Frisco Commons, where volunteers will be constructing Hope Park and renovating Friendship Park. The parks will officially open May 11, when a grand opening ceremony will be held.
Anyone who is older than 12 can help, and it'll be a great way to ensure Frisco's children have a way to interact with each other for years to come, regardless of their situation.
For more information on how to get involved, visit www.hopeparkfrisco.org.
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