Rachel’s Fun for Everyone Playground had its ribbon cutting ceremony on August 26th, 2017. This playground was the brainchild of a 9 year old girl that wanted to help disabled children have fun on the playground too. This was a very ambitious project that would require a lot of funding. In fact, they raised $498,000 during the past for years to make this happen. The Vine Grove Council and the Kentucky State Council were proud to donate money to help this great cause. The Vine Grove Council alone donated over $10,000 to this project.
Governor Matt Bevin and several members of the Knights of Columbus were at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for this great park. Click on any of the photos below to see a larger photo.
Below is an excerpt from the Rachel’s Fun for Everyone Playground website.
In early February of 2013, nine-year-old “Rachel” approached her mom (Julie) saying “I have an idea” The third-grade
student then explained her idea, and showed her the research she had already done. Julie became excited about the idea and asked Rachel to show it to her dad, when he came home from work.
Rachel’s father, who also happens to be a member of the Vine Grove Volunteer Fire Department, liked the idea so much, that he took his daughter to meet City Councilwoman Donna Spangenberger. Rachel explained her idea to the Councilwoman, adding that she would be willing to have fund-raisers, such as car washes and chili suppers to help raise the money. Rachel’s dad added that the Vine Grove Jr. Firefighters have offered to supply the labor. Councilwoman Spangenberger liked the idea so much, she invited Rachel to attend the next regular meeting and present her idea to the entire City Council.
Rachel accepted the invitation and with the support of her parents, appeared before City Council on Monday, February 4, 2013. Rachel wrote a letter and courageously read it to the Council members, explaining her idea. Put very simply, Rachel wants to build playground equipment that physically challenged children can access. By building the equipment, Rachel believes that all children can play together, without the fear of being teased because they can’t access the playground.
Upon hearing from Rachel, the Mayor and City Council unanimously agreed to work with her to help her achieve her goal.
The following day, Rachel and her dad visited City Hall and presented officials with a binder, which contained all of her research. The research included websites that sell specialized playground equipment, pictures of the equipment and pricing information. The binder also contained grant information and guidelines set forth by the American with Disabilities Act. Rachel’s research shows her commitment to the project.
