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Children of all abilities in Minnesota and Florida will soon have all-inclusive playgrounds at parks in their communities to play on thanks to their local Kiwanis clubs. 

The Albert Lea Noon Kiwanis Club in Albert Lea and the Kiwanis Club of South Lake in Clermont, Fla., are co-winners of the ninth annual Legacy of Play contest, sponsored by Kiwanis International and Landscape Structures Inc.

Each Kiwanis club will receive $25,000 in inclusive playground equipment, according to a press release.

“Oh wow!” exclaimed Sarah Stultz, member of the Albert Lea Noon Kiwanis Club, after learning her club was named a winner. “Our club is celebrating its 100th anniversary next week so this will be a great addition to that celebration. Thank you so much!” 

Albert Lea, about 90-miles south of the Twin Cities, is home to nearly 20,000 people. And while the city has many great parks and playgrounds, none provided children of all abilities a place to play together. After learning of a parent group working to bring an inclusive playground to their community, the Albert Lea Noon Kiwanis Club committed to helping. 

The vision for the inclusive playground is for children of all abilities to play side-by-side with their peers, deliver a rich, sensory environment that encourages children to grow and learn at their own pace, and allow everyone to access every point of the space.

“Oh wow! Thank you. Wow that is awesome!” laughed Mike Henleben, member of the Kiwanis Club of South Lake. “I can’t wait to bring this news to the club. And the community; they’ve been Facebooking me asking ‘Did we win? Did we win?’” 

“This is so great,” added Cheryl Henleben, Kiwanis member and submitter of the application. “Getting the first big funder is the hardest.” 

The city of Clermont, Fla., a community just 22-miles west of Orlando, is known for being home to the United States Triathlon National Training Center. With the city motto being “Choice of Champions,” the Kiwanis Club of South Lake felt they needed to help children of all abilities feel like champions on the playground with an inclusive playground, which had been lacking in the community. 

Kiwanis and community members envision children of all abilities and their families easily accessing the playground as well as freestanding playground components like the We-Go-Round®, plus there will be activities that enhance sensory, cognitive, motor, social and emotional skills through sensory play panels and Rhapsody® Outdoor Musical Instruments. 

Both clubs saw an outpouring of community support for the projects from the beginning, but particularly when it came time for the public vote on Facebook. Additionally, both clubs are working closely with the city of Albert Lea and city of Clermont as well as have other strong partnerships with community organizations to ensure that the inclusive playground projects are installed and ready for children by 2024.

“On behalf of Landscape Structures, I would like to congratulate the Albert Lea Noon Kiwanis Club and the Kiwanis Club of South Lake on co-winning the Legacy of Play contest,” said Pat Faust, president of Landscape Structures.

Landscape Structures is a leading manufacturer of playground equipment and works with communities of all sizes to develop play spaces for adults and children of all abilities. “These two clubs brought forth some incredible projects, and we’re honored to award both clubs $25,000 and help them bring inclusivity to communities in Minnesota and Florida. We are thankful for the clubs’ commitments to their community, inclusion and play. We look forward to working together with Kiwanis members and the community of Albert Lea and Clermont to bring life to these inclusive playgrounds.”