Grade 5 student inspires Okotoks school community to fundraise for inclusive playground
At the start of the next school year in September, children who use a wheelchair at an Okotoks elementary school should be able to enjoy the playground with their friends.
Grade 5 student Ella Cutting first brought the idea of an inclusive playground to her principal at Dr. Morris Gibson School. Her classmate Cooper Oakes would be out during recess but wasn’t on the playground.
“I just feel so bad that Cooper can’t play," Cutting said, "because I think he would have so much fun and it’s heartbreaking because he can’t play.”
PRESENTATION
Ella created a presentation that was shown to the entire school with her proposal for a playground so children who use wheelchairs could feel included too
“The idea is we’re going to get an inclusive swing so that Dawson, Bentlee and Cooper can play,” said Ella.
Grade three student Gabbi Wildeman saw the presentation and told her parents about the idea for an inclusive playground, where she would be able to play with her classmate Bentley.
“Getting to play with my best friend in the whole wide world at the park and making her feel special and that she can do stuff like we can and she’s just like us,” said Gabbi.
Gabbi’s dad, Blake Wildeman said some parents started fundraising in February. They’ve raised nearly $40,000 from bottle drives, raffles and support from local businesses.
“It’s not just for the school, it's for the community. This is a town facility, you come during non-school hours and you can have fun with your family and not worry about keeping someone on the sidelines,” said Wildeman.
Wildeman said an accessible merry-go-round has been ordered and should be installed this summer. The idea is to have equipment where the wheelchair can be pushed right on, instead of the need for adults to lift the child in.
Ella Cutting and Cooper Oakes
“It is designed so anybody and everybody can play and play together.”
But more money is still needed for a second piece of equipment and the changes needed so wheelchairs can move around the playground.
PARENTS FUNDRAISING
Parents are fundraising because the school does not receive funding from the provincial government or the school division.
The school’s principal said school council raised $100,000 for the current playground built in 2019, over four years. It also received grants and bursaries to cover the total cost of $179,000.
The cost to make the playground accessible is roughly $100,000 with two pieces of equipment.
Helen Oakes, Cooper’s mother has also launched a fundraiser to help. https://ca.gofundme.com/f/ellas-inclusive-playground
“It will be fantastic just to see him having a good time with everybody else rather than just standing on the sidelines.”
Oakes said Ella’s initiative brought her to tears. She said inclusion is important at the school and kids with different needs are integrated with everyone else in their grade.
Oakes has also teamed up with YYC Food Trucks for an event on June 22, where trucks will park in the parking lot of the Crystal Shores Beach House. Part of the proceeds will go towards the playground. Oakes said there will be multiple food truck events through the summer.
She said this has become a community project and will benefit so many children who attend the school in the future, and her family.
“It will be fantastic just to see him having a good time with everybody else rather than just standing on the sidelines,” said Oakes.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.