Florida school adds accessible playground

From WZVN-TV in Florida:

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. -- A lot of time and a lot of money went into getting a very special playground at Corkscrew Elementary School. And those efforts will allow some children play with their friends at recess for the very first time.

At a standard playground we found Tuesday, there were places to climb, slide and soar. There was one handicapped accessible swing, but it was surrounded by sand.

It is that type of playground that keeps a 10-year-old Nicholas Pangaribaun and his wheelchair on the sidelines.

"You can't go over sand. It sinks. The heavier he is, the deeper the wheelchair goes," said Pangaribaun's mom Cassy.

But at Corkscrew Elementary, she says sand no longer stands in her son's way. In fact at the school's new "boundless playground," nothing stands in his way.

Where others run, he rolls. And for the first time in at least six years, Cassy says Nick is just part of the crowd.

"It just gives me chills just thinking about it now and it makes my heart huge, because his smile and his laugh is wonderful," she said.

He has his mother and some close friends to thank for the new playground.

"It has taken three years and about $300,000 to get here," said fellow mother and fundraiser Barb Southwick.

A group of moms formed their own non-profit organization, became expert fundraisers and made big things happen.

Now other schools want in too. Angela Lettiere, Principal at Big Cypress Elementary, says she dreams of "boundless" possibilities for her wheelchair-bound students.

"They would be free. They would be free to go wherever they wanted to go," she said.

The Big Cypress PTA is gearing up to start fundraising and the women behind the original boundless playground say they'll be there every step of the way.

"We started with the school and now we've got the playground and we're going to become an inclusive community," said Southwick.