Supporters of the Magical Bridge Basis’s plan to deliver a socially inclusive playground to Santa Clara are celebrating a money infusion from the state that can enable the venture to lastly come to life.
The Magical Bridge Basis was based by Olenka Villarreal in 2009 after she realized that the majority playgrounds she visited together with her two daughters didn't meet their differing wants. The primary Magical Bridge playground opened in Palo Alto in 2015, and the group launched formally as a nonprofit in 2016, based on the Magical Bridge Basis’s web site.
Since then, the muse has constructed a number of extra customized playgrounds all through the Bay Space, and in 2023, one will probably be coming to Santa Clara. Efforts to construct one of many parks within the space have been greenlit in early 2019, when the town of Santa Clara entered right into a grant settlement with the county to approve the development of the park. The venture obtained $1.8 million in funding from the town and one other $1.765 million from the county that yr, however nonetheless wanted round $700,000 in further funding from donors earlier than it might be constructed.
This yr, that funding materialized within the type of a shock allocation of $800,000 from the state of California, with Assemblymember Alex Lee (D-San Jose) receiving credit score for advocating for the park behind the scenes and securing the funding for the venture.
Lee and Villarreal have been joined by Mayor Lisa Gillmor and different members of the Metropolis Council to rejoice the funding at a ceremony in Central Park, the place the longer term playground will probably be constructed. Gillmor stated the funding will assist be sure that the playground’s Hill High Play Space will probably be furnished with seating, help swings, an grownup health space and hammocks, in addition to different playground points of interest.
The playground’s building can also be half of a bigger renovation of Central Park, Gillmor stated on the ceremony.
Villarreal known as the state’s contribution “an unimaginable reward from Assemblymember Lee” and stated the ceremony was “an instance of a terrific management workforce and grateful group.”
The park’s different deliberate options embody a zone for youngsters ages 2-5, a two-story playhouse, a donor entry plaza, improved picnic areas, and spin and swing zones, based on the Metropolis of Santa Clara’s web site. Along with serving youngsters with disabilities, the Santa Clara park and different Magical Bridge parks additionally welcome youngsters and adults of all ages and talents, eradicating boundaries which may be frequent in different playgrounds “so everybody performs collectively,” based on the muse’s web site.