By late September students of Fireside School and the community at large will play on their brand new inclusive playground.

The small group of dedicated volunteers on the Friends of Fireside School fundraising committee have been pounding the pavement, shooting off emails and applying for numerous grants to bring Cochrane a playground that is not like any other.

Laura McDonald, President, and April Baird, Vice President, are excited to unveil the new playground and are optimistic they will reach their full fundraising goal in time for the rubber playground surface to be installed. So far sitting at $315,000 of their $450,000 goal the seven-person committee is looking for donors and sponsors to come on board and support the project which was originally guesstimated high at $700,000. The ladies are proud of what they have raised in a short period of time but in order, to hit their financial target they need to aim high. "Even if a really great idea came to us those community events might raise $1500 to $2000 and we don't really think that is going to get us our playground, it is too slow."

Although Fireside School meets criteria for a $250,000 provincial grant, the committee was very honest about how far that money would stretch. "I hope we've done a good job in informing the community that $250,000 gets you a pretty basic park with a loose surface ground. We held community feedback activities from the get-go where everyone felt that poured rubber was what everyone wanted. It is a big piece of our budget and we stand by it 100%."

If you are wondering what a $450,000 park looks like, the ladies explained the ideology behind a truly inclusive park.

Being involved from the beginning, McDonald believes they attracted certain board members to help with the project due to personal situations. Two members of the board have children with special needs and that heightened their desire to create a play space where everyone, no matter what, has an opportunity to play, not just at, but on the playground. "We're advocates for our kids, you don't get given a special child and then sit around and do nothing for them. You get given a special child because you are going to fight for them." Another big part of their inspiration came from Fireside School student and wheelchair user, Malik. "Ever since the snow started falling Malik has not had an outdoor recess, he can't play in the two-foot snow. So he is pretty much school bound which is unacceptable to us." 

McDonald stresses the playground they are building is truly inclusive for all. "It's a challenging, athletic playground for all abilities." Malik will still need to get out of his wheelchair to use the slide, but all aspects and access points will be 100% accessible.

The word 'inclusive' is not limited to children with needs, instead 'inclusive' to the committee means usable for all. "Inclusive is not just about wheelchair swings, it is thinking about how kids can play side by side."

Some of the playground highlights include a wave climber, five slides, a 25-30 foot zip line with two tracks one with a bucket seat and a 5 point harness for young children or those with low tone and the other designed for older children. Side by side monkey bars for the 5-year-old to practice while an older child can go ripping by. The playground will be built on the seven principles of inclusive design; fair, smart, comfortable, independent, safe, active, and included.

With some elements being created bigger and faster the playground will appeal to all ages and abilities. With a limited number of truly accessible playgrounds, the committee has also been promoting it to families that are regulars at Alberta Children's Hospital ."It is close to here and those families don't often have places to go with their kids, and they are excited." While some families already travel to Cochrane to use the warm water therapy pool, the committee believes the addition of the new park will attract more families to call Cochrane home.

Now if for some reason they don't reach their full financial goal, McDonald shares they will build the playground in stages. "We didn't want any misconceptions, this playground is being built by September. Just because we have this dream, we won't delay this playground for a minute for these kids. We talk to our designer on a weekly basis and he knows where we are at financially. If we have to dial down our design, we will. We will never dial down our philosophy and we will never take it to a non-inclusive playground."

If you have a business or organization that would like to be involved you can contact the Friends of Fireside School HERE. There is a way for all donations and sponsorships to help the cause, no matter the size.

While other playgrounds are in future Fireside plans, the community currently, only has a tot park off the main drag.