The Minot Area Community Foundation held a dedication ceremony Thursday for the Magic Smiles playground located in Oak Park. The event was the first of many planned to celebrate the foundation's 10th anniversary.
The Magic Smiles playground is an all-inclusive playground for children of all abilities and the equipment incorporates physical accessibility, age and developmental appropriateness and sensory-stimulating activity.
"This is really living proof of what happens when caring people give back to the community and what a difference they can make," said Ken Kitzman, Minot Area Community Foundation president.
Kitzman said the idea for the playground was a dream of Connie Philipenko and her grandson Gabe Nehlsen. They visited an all-inclusive playground in Fargo and Gabe asked why Minot didn't have one like it. They submitted a grant proposal through the Magic Give program, but the project was a large one and didn't fit the size and scope of the Magic Give criteria. The proposal didn't go unnoticed, however, and the grant was eventually picked up by Minot Area Community Foundation's Power of the Purse group.
The Power of the Purse group pushed enthusiastically for the dream to become a reality, and funding was secured from other foundation funds and a matching grant from the North Dakota Parks and Recreation department. The Minot Park District provided the space for the playground and will coordinate the playground maintenance.
The Power of the Purse group also spoke with parents of children with special needs to ensure the playground would encompass all of their needs, explained Linda Hidahl, a MACF group member and founding member of the Power of the Purse group.
The finished playground has some unique special features, including wide ramps that allow easy access throughout the structure, the Sway Fun glider, which provides an area for children in wheelchairs and their friends to experience the swaying motion, a Cozy Dome, which allows over-stimulated children a place to take a break, and other sensory features such as the Xylofun and Bongo Panels to stimulate the senses.
Dakota Fence and Landscape Structures designed and facilitated the building of the playground, and more than 100 volunteers from eight area organizations assisted with the building, contributing more than 600 hours of time. Kitzman said the work of the volunteers and the dream of an all-inclusive playground becoming reality is evidence of what the Minot community believes in.
"This is who we are, this is what we believe in for our community, and when you give back, this is what happens," Kitzman said.
