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Nose for News by Sarah Stultz

I can hardly believe it.

After four years of planning, writing grants, fundraising and spreading information about our ideas for an inclusive playground, all of our hard work has finally paid off, and I am thrilled.

Together, with the help of the community, our committee has raised more than $1 million and the new playground has been built.

Those who have been in Edgewater Park in the last few weeks have probably already noticed that the work has been winding down at the site, which is across the street from the Edgewater Bay Pavilion.

While the playground was installed last fall, contractors this spring have completed the project with the installation of lights and the creation of new sidewalks and a parking lot. The STARS Mentoring group put in a new flower garden on Monday.

Once the sidewalks were poured and the asphalt was in place, people started venturing up to check out the park, and already I have been pleased to see the park buzzing with activity. I hope those who have attended the park already have had an enjoyable time and are excited for this new asset in our community.

On Thursday, we will officially celebrate the opening of the park with an All-Inclusive Walk fundraiser at 5 p.m., followed by a ceremony at 6 p.m.

The walk is $10 to participate in and will go about 1 1/2 miles around Edgewater Park. If that distance is too far, we encourage you to come out and do what you can. All money raised will go toward paying the remaining $30,000 balance on the playground.

The ceremony will be a time of celebration and recognition for all of the community partners and donors who made this project possible.

There have been numerous fundraisers and contributions, and every bit of money given has helped this project come to fruition — whether it was $5 or multiple thousand.

Thank you for coming to our bingo fundraisers, the kite festivals, the polar plunge and several other events — all of these events helped us raise the money for this project.

They also gave us a time to come together as a community and make new memories.

I am proud to live in a community that supports its youth — and that particularly supports its youth with disabilities. This is a great step forward, and I hope that it will help children like my son, Landon, and several others, feel like they belong and can play alongside their peers.

This is only the first phase of what our small committee has planned to bring to our community, so I hope you will stay tuned for the next phase and jump on board with the same support when the time comes.

Oh, and we will have a bake sale the night of the celebration, so please bring some cash to pick up some goodies!

Sarah Stultz is the managing editor of the Tribune. Her column appears every Wednesday.