Breaking Down Barriers at Mary Montgomery School
School playgrounds are a hub of activity, but for kids that need barrier-free access many older playgrounds leave them on the outside looking in.
“We don’t currently have outdoor recreation spaces that are accessible,” says Andrea Gray, Chair of the Accessible Playground Committee of the Parent Advisory Council of Mary Montgomery School. “Creating a playground space that is fully accessible where people of all ages and all abilities can play and interact independently with their peers is going to be amazing for our community.”
The committee started planning and fundraising for the upgrades last September, and when they contacted a playground equipment company to get the project rolling they found out about a program called Stomping Grounds that has awarded grants to similar projects in the past.
Now in its second year, Stomping Grounds was created by ADAMA Canada with the mandate to invest in local initiatives that support youth, health and connection. The playground company put them in touch with a consultant that helped them fill out the application, and in April their project was selected for a $5,000 investment.
“This grant is really going to help propel the project and get it moving faster,” says Gray. “I know firsthand that when we do fundraisers in the community they are always very successful, but we usually raise smaller amounts of money. We would have to be doing an awful lot of fundraising on our own if there weren't programs like Stomping Grounds in place.”
Corey Thorsteinson, Eastern Prairies Regional Sales Manager for ADAMA Canada, visited the school at the end of May to deliver the “cheque” and meet some of the kids that will soon be joining their friends on the playground.
“It’s really unfortunate that so many of the older recreational facilities aren’t accessible for all kids, or all adults for that matter,” says Thorsteinson. “I feel very fortunate to work for a company that has made supporting projects like this part of the way they do business.”
Gray says once complete, the innovative design will include a barrier-free surface and engaging play features to encourage social play and build strong bonds among students and will become a community hub where everyone will feel welcome and have fun for years to come.
About ADAMA
ADAMA Canada has been supplying the Canadian agricultural community with crop protection products for more than a decade. We offer an innovative approach to ag and proactively seek opportunities to listen to what our customers, experts and colleagues have to say, taking their inputs and learning from their experience. We combine these insights with our expertise and respond with new products, solutions, services, tailored commercial policies, or information that is relevant to them. We are passionate about agriculture and approach what we do as much more than just a job. Our straightforward, get-it-done attitude helps us stay focused on what we care about most: helping our customers create more sustainable, profitable businesses. ADAMA is the seventh largest crop protection company globally with sales in 100 countries and has the largest portfolio of any company with over 270 active ingredients.