{"id":76667,"date":"2019-06-05T16:42:00","date_gmt":"2019-06-05T21:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=76667"},"modified":"2019-06-05T16:42:06","modified_gmt":"2019-06-05T21:42:06","slug":"bailey-branch-park-to-receive-accessible-playground-equipment-for-community-children-of-all-ability-levels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/bailey-branch-park-to-receive-accessible-playground-equipment-for-community-children-of-all-ability-levels\/","title":{"rendered":"Bailey Branch Park to Receive Accessible Playground Equipment for Community Children of All Ability Levels"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Bailey Branch Park is located at the corner of HWY 7 South & Office Park Drive. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Leadership Lafayette<\/strong> has partnered with the Mississippi Society for Disabilities (MSD)<\/strong> to create a fundraiser named \u201cPlay Without Barriers\u201d <\/strong>that will bring accessible playground equipment to Bailey Branch Park<\/strong> for children of all ability levels and their families. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leadership Lafayette\u2019s fundraising goal is set at $20,000. An arm of the Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Lafayette consists of community leaders divided into groups, each focused on a different community improvement project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPlaygrounds can create a barrier to play and people usually don\u2019t think about that,\u201d said Tanya Nichols<\/strong>, Leadership Lafayette 2019 participant and project manager for the University of Mississippi\u2019s Division of Diversity and Community Engagement. \u201cAn open park seems like it has no limitations. But if a play structure is not accessible, it is not inclusive. In being a diverse community, we have to think about access, inclusion, and equity even when it comes to children playing. It\u2019s important to create a space where kids have that opportunity.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The playground, located on the corner of Highway-7 South and Office Park Drive, will see three phases of equipment installation each priced at $85,000: equipment suitable for ages five to 12, independent play structures located in shade, and a playground suitable for children ages two to five. All phases should be complete by 2022 with the first stage to be finished by spring 2020. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis project will enrich our community in a number of ways,\u201d Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce Senior Vice President Pam Swain<\/strong> said. \u201cWe are such a young family-focused community, and our quality of life is our major asset. Having an accessible playground in this community will allow all children to thrive and play. <\/strong>We are beyond excited about MSD\u2019s plans.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To fundraise for this project, Leadership Lafayette is helping MSD organize a family- friendly, community event titled \u201cJazz Under the Stars\u201d<\/strong> with the North Mississippi Symphony Orchestra <\/strong>on June 27 at the Old Armory Pavilion.<\/strong> In-kind donations such as beverages, items for door prizes, and volunteers are welcome. To be an event sponsor, \u201cPlay Without Barriers\u201d offers a personalized brick to be placed at Bailey Branch for a $50 or more donation and tickets to \u201cJazz Under the Stars\u201d for a $100 or more donation. The deadline for jazz concert sponsorship and in-kind donations is June 20th <\/sup>and all other monetary gifts should be submitted by August 1st<\/sup>. To donate, the Chamber of Commerce will accept credit card or checks with \u201cPlay Without Barriers\u201d written in the memo. \u201cJazz Under the Stars\u201d tickets will be available on the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council\u2019s website for $12 and $6 for children. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are so many needs being met by this equipment, such as slides insulated with stainless steel for the benefit of children with cochlear implants,\u201d Nichols said. \u201cConventional slides create static build-up that causes a child\u2019s implant to explode. This project is not only bringing inclusive fun to our community, it is also keeping our children safe.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

MSD has already completed two other similar playgrounds, both in Madison. Future plans include bringing accessible equipment to Brandon, the Gulf Coast and Crystal Springs. MSD has partnered with the Mississippi Toughest Kids Foundation<\/strong> to create the state\u2019s first year-round accessible camp called Camp Kamassa.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe want everyone to be on the same level, the same piece of ground, playing together,\u201d MSD Program Director Zac Ryan Halstead<\/strong> said. \u201cRather than bringing a child with special needs into the world of the child who is able-bodied, we reverse that. We bring the able-bodied child into the world of the child with special needs. It helps to promote awareness and understanding. It bridges that gap between being able-bodied and disabled, especially when you\u2019re young.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Oxford-Lafayette community can expect both Avent Park <\/strong>and Garden Terrace<\/strong> to also see new accessible playground equipment over the next five years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Leadership Lafayette has partnered with the Mississippi Society for Disabilities (MSD) to create a fundraiser named \u201cPlay Without<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":238,"featured_media":42705,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[4188,4189,14607,4361,14605,6396,14602,14606,14603,11011,14604],"class_list":["post-76667","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news","tag-avent-park","tag-bailey-branch-park","tag-camp-kamassa","tag-garden-terrace","tag-jazz-under-the-stars","tag-leadership-lafayette","tag-mississippi-society-for-disabilities","tag-mississippi-toughest-kids-foundation","tag-msd","tag-old-armory-pavilion","tag-play-without-barriers"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/leadershiplafayette-1.jpg?fit=600%2C273&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/238"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76667"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76667\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42705"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}