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SIX YEARS LATER

Idaho State Journal - 5/12/2017

POCATELLO — It’s been six years since O.K. Ward Park in Pocatello transformed into Brooklyn’s Playground, providing kids with disabilities a place to play and make friends.

Like most pre-teens, however, the days where 11-year-old Brooklyn Fisher’s favorite playtime activity of roaming the playground are numbered, but that hasn’t stopped her and her family from visiting — even if they watch from the sidelines.

“It’s still just as fun as it was on day one to see people playing here, especially those who don’t have other opportunities,” said Brooklyn’s father, Jonny Fisher. “Every time I see them here playing whether it’s a child in a wheelchair, with a walker or some sort of a mental disability, it’s really fun to watch them play here.”

Brooklyn, accompanied with her dad and siblings, Leah and Hayes stopped by the playground on Thursday to see members of Leadership Pocatello-Chubbuck executing a bit of spring cleaning, which included new bark surrounding the toys, a fresh layer of paint on the yellow brick road leading up the playground and a new coat of protectant over the wooden roofs of the treehouse slide, pirate ship, rocket ship and a snake slide.

“The president of Leadership and Brooklyn’s Playground entered a verbal agreement that on our volunteer day we would come and help clean up the park,” said Leadership board president, Suzanne Riley.

Jonny said he’s extremely thankful for the volunteers from Leadership, but members of the community also deserve some credit for preserving the park over the years.

“Every year that we’ve done our spring clean-up, Leadership has handled it,” Jonny said. “We’re very grateful for their service and while the city does the daily maintenance, little things here in there, this is more of a deep cleaning to get it ready for the summer.”

He continued, “We’re just really satisfied with the way the community has treated the playground. It’s held up really well over the six years, and other than one small incident, there hasn’t been any vandalism. The community has really taken ownership, so there’s been about 70,000 owners taking care of this place like it’s their own. I wondered if that would continue and it really has.”

The idea for a park that provides access to special needs kids came to the Fisher family as soon as Brooklyn was 3 years old.

“We saw a park like this in Salt Lake City but the need became real for us in 2009 when she was 3 and she wasn’t able to play with her friends on the playground,” Jonny said. “It came as a result of that, and as we pitched the project to the community, we realized a greater need that so many other people had for this place. Not only people with physical disabilities but people that suffer from mental disabilities, too, like autism or Down Syndrome. They don’t have safe places to play. A lot of kids with Down Syndrome will eat the sand or bark, or throw it up in the air, so parents really enjoy a place like this. If you fall, it doesn’t hurt too bad.”

“Unless it’s summer — then it will burn you,” Brooklyn replied.

Aside from the swings and the spinny chairs, Brooklyn’s favorite part of the park is the simple fact she has a chance to experience what every kid should — the ability to run, or roll, around a playground.

Born with Spina Bifida, Brooklyn may never had gotten the chance to enjoy that aspect so common in other children’s lives.

“I was born with Spina Bifida, so I wasn’t able to walk,” Brooklyn said. “There was a hole in my back so they had to stitch it up and then I wasn’t able to use my legs properly.”

“Just the lower part of her legs,” Jonny replied. “As a result of Spina Bifida those nerves are damaged. So, at birth they do surgery, push the nerves into the back and sow it up. Its irreparable nerve damage. She uses a walker to get around at school, but for long distances she’s more comfortable in a wheelchair.”

As Brooklyn may not find the joy in the playground as she once did, the benefit of this park will live on for generations. And for that, Brooklyn is thankful.

“It’s really cool that I’m able to play here,” she said. “I wasn’t able to play at parks before and it was sad. In the summer, we come a couple times a month. I think it’s nice of them and I’m really grateful.”

Brooklyn Fisher, 11, front, came over to the playground that bears her name with her father, Jonny, sister, Leah, 7, and brother, Hayes, 4, during Leadership Pocatello’s annual cleanup day Thursday.

Doug Lindley/Idaho State Journal

Brooklyn Fisher, 11, front, came over to the playground that bears her name with her father, Jonny, sister, Leah, 7, and brother, Hayes, 4, during Leadership Pocatello’s annual cleanup day Thursday.

Doug Lindley/Idaho State Journal

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