At 'Madison's Place,' Every Child Can Play
WOODBURY, Minn. (WCCO) -- A Minnesota mother is leading the way to make sure kids of all abilities have a place to play together.
Several years ago, Dana Millington set out to build a playground that would be easy to navigate for children with physical and developmental disabilities.
Saturday, the playground will finally open to the public in Woodbury.
Millington told WCCO how her late daughter inspired her to take on this unique challenge.
"We learned what it was very quickly to have a special needs child," Millington said.
Millington's daughter Madison was born in 2002.
She had Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a genetic disorder that impacts the body's muscle movement and growth.
Millington said taking all of her children to playgrounds wasn't an option.
"She could not be left alone, she needed constant care," Millington said. "My other two were 2 and 4 and they still needed help."
Madison only lived to be 2 years old, but thanks to her mother's hard work, other children can enjoy Madison's Place.
The new playground is unlike any others in the area.
"We get to talk about her every day and it's not always sad. It's introduced her to our youngest who never got to meet her," Millington said.
Millington spent nearly seven years fundraising through the Madison Claire Foundation.
Eventually, the group raised $830,000 to build the completely accessible playground in Woodbury.
"Our entire structure is ramped, there's no stairs to get up and down," Millington said.
Rubber surfacing alone cost almost $200,000.
"Any rocks, sand, wood chips, people that have mobility issues can't access the structure," Millington said.
Working with local doctors, Millington thought out and worked through challenges many children face.
"We wanted to cover a wide range of disabilities like mobility, autism, sensory delays," Millington said.
A true labor of love for a mother helping children build connections she knows will stretch far beyond the playground.
"Kids are kids and they can create those friendships before they look at kids differently," Millington said.
Millington says the playground also considers parents with different abilities who don't want to feel limited in what they can do with their children.
Millington modeled the playground after one she saw from California, which was also inspired by a child who lived with SMA.
While fully accessible playgrounds are gaining ground on the U.S. coasts, Millington said the Midwest still has a long way to go in ensuring children of all abilities can share playground space and play together more comfortably.
The playground is next to Bielenberg Sports Center.
It officially opens Saturday at 11 a.m.
There is also an accessible splash pad next to it.
