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Preston Fisher with baseball cap on
Preston Fisher with baseball cap on

The Inspiration

The inspiration for Preston's H.O.P.E. came from very special friends and family of a little boy born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA).  They believed that if his dreams were to play in a park with all other kids, then there must be many, many other children with the same dream as well... they found out that there were over 26,000 kids in Cuyahoga County alone with some type of disability.  Kids that wanted the opportunity to play with their brothers and sisters and their best friends... a place that was boundless.  Many of these kids met one day and dreamed together the way Preston's H.O.P.E. should be.  A place where you could get up high, feel movement, play things you've never been able to, or just be quiet if you want.  And that is how it all started. 

Then the real work began to make these dreams a reality. 

Learn more about Preston

 

 

Our History

 

After seven years and almost $3,000,000 raised, you have the unique opportunity to enjoy all of our dreams and still create many of your own.

Many of the playground's components were purchased through manufacturing vendors who installed their products while other items were custom designed exclusively for the Preston's H.O.P.E. project.  Design direction has been provided by RSA Architects, Inc.Dorsky Hodgson + Partners, and the landscape architectural firm of Cawrse & Associates. We also have had an evaluation of the plan by a professional playground architect.

Learn more about the need for accessible playgrounds

We need funds to operate and keep the park open for FREE to the community... and your donation will help. 

 

Please donate to Preston's H.O.P.E

The Need

Research indicates that there are nearly 50,000 children with some type of disability in the northeast Ohio region, with 26,000 in Cuyahoga County alone.

To ensure that we reach our intended community, we have formed alliances with local and regional agencies such as The March of Dimes, Youth Challenge, United Cerebral Palsy, the Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center. 

An accessible playground is an asset to the community and to the health and well being of all children. Until now, there was no such environment that provided accessible structures that were safe and secure for children utilizing special equipment such as crutches or wheelchairs or one that truly enables children with and without disabilities to play alongside one another, with opportunities for the development of self  esteem and social skills will be nurtured through the environment as imaginative and cooperative play takes place. This play environment creates a setting for a positive family interaction while allowing disabled children and adults an opportunity to demonstrate their competencies, set goals and demonstrate  accomplishments.


There is a great difference between accessible and disability/wheelchair friendly play. Most  accessible  playgrounds found today only provide a ramp, which requires a child to leave their support equipment behind in order to access the play structure. 

A survey done by Boundless Playgrounds™ showed less than 10% of children with disabilities are able to leave their support equipment thus making play for them in existing  playgrounds less than satisfying or gratifying. 

Our 60,000 square foot outdoor play facility features playable areas for children with a wide variety of disabilities. The facility is available to children of all ages, religious, ethnic or racial  backgrounds.

The Inspiration
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