Hartsville, SC – Garrison’s Place, A Handicapable Playground, the handicapped-accessible playground built at Byerly Park in 2014 with input from local concerned parents, grew to include new equipment this month thanks to the “Love for Laken” fundraising project, taken on by Hartsville High School student Melanie Watford and made in honor of Laken Kennedy.
When Watford took on the effort for her Miss Hartsville High School pageant project, she said she was inspired by Laken Kennedy, the son of David and Shannon Kennedy, someone who she describes as a “fun-spirited little boy” who has Cerebral Palsy. With the Kennedy family, she visited Garrison’s Place at Byerly Park. The facility, built in 2014 with grant funding from the Byerly Foundation and leadership from local parents of children with disabilities, already featured a wheelchair platform swing, adaptive swings and a zip line, all made to accommodate children with disabilities. Still, Watford saw an opportunity to help build something more, not just for Laken Kennedy, but for other Hartsville children as well.
“I did not choose to do this project because I felt sorry for these children,” she said. “I chose this project because I wanted to show everyone else that these kids are no different than us, and they deserve a place to go and enjoy being a kid just like every other child.”
She began with a flyer campaign and by seeking donations through social media, but soon she was thinking bigger. She made collection jars with information about the effort, as well as “Love for Laken” car window decals to spread the word. Altogether, the effort raised $2470.22, making possible the installation of playground chimes and a drum at the site.
Beyond adding on to the facility, Watford said she wanted to raise awareness of Cerebral Palsy. The playground additions have been installed just ahead of National Cerebral Palsy Month in March, a time to encourage awareness of the lives impacted by the brain condition as well as research efforts for its treatment and cure.
Watford said the fundraising effort has helped her to see the world in a new light.
“Before I did this project I used to worry about my appearance, what people thought of me, and so on,” she said. “After this project I realized that I am beyond blessed, and life is not all about what you look like on the outside, it is what’s on the inside that truly matters. I am so thankful for people like Laken who allow me to see life in a different perspective.”
Garrison’s Place: A Handicapable Playground, is located at the Byerly Park Recreational Complex, 700 Russell Road in Hartsville, close to the Piratesville Splash Pad.
