“THE SANDY GROUND: WHERE ANGELS PLAY”
By: Hope Wilkos, Writer/Blogger Photographer: George Whylie Videographer: Maxine NolanAlthough time passes, we will never forget the adorable smiles, the giggles, the passion for life that each of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting massacre were known for.
Now each of the victims will again be honored and memorized by their very own playgrounds created in communities also victimized by Superstorm Sandy.
The largest Firefighters Union in New Jersey, no strangers to disaster, wanted to do something from the heart in remembrance of the 26 victims in Newton, Connecticut.
Both New York and New Jersey will be home to ten playgrounds each while Connecticut will receive six. Each playground will link the two tragedies with the shared name Sandy and will stand for recovery and hope. In total, the project will cost approximately $2.1 million. So far, donations have been received to fund six with positive encouragement that more will follow.
The idea has been well accepted but it isn’t the first time a playground has brought happiness and hope when everything seems to come crashing down. New Jersey Firefighters built three playgrounds in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. They created a bond with an elementary school there. One of the firefighter’s nieces was a teacher. When the students in Waveland, Mississippi (where one of the playgrounds was built) heard about the destruction that Superstorm Sandy had caused, a toy drive was organized for the New Jersey victims.
This joy of giving is almost addictive in a beautiful way. The parents of those children that were lost on that fateful day in December as well as the families of the adults who acted so bravely that day and lost their lives, are just thrilled at these memorials.
The first playground will be in Sea Bright, New Jersey and will honor special education teacher, Ann Marie Murphy. There will be a climbing wall and slides that have been hand-picked by some of the children of that town. Murphy was an animal lover so the park may have a dog run. The groundbreaking event is set to take place on March 1. It may be the brightest light in a sea of disaster.
Already ideas have been formulated and encouraged by some of the parents. Noah Pozner’s parents, Lenny and Veronique, were quoted as saying, “We cannot imagine a more fitting tribute for Noah than a playground designed to offer children years of play and interaction with others in their community.” Noah’s playground will be in the Rockaway section of Queens, New York where his grandfather resides.
Catherine Hubbard loved her backyard tire swing and would try to reach for the stars each time she got on. Her mother, Jenny, agreed that a playground would be the “perfect” memorial for her 6-year-old daughter. Her playground will be on Staten Island with a tire swing near the beach because she loved sea animals. Helping to oversee the creation of the playground will be her brother, Fred, with his tool belt and all supervising as honorary project foreman for the volunteer first responders and members of the community that are helping to build the playground.
Jack Pinto’s playground will have a football theme because of his love for the New York Giants. Chase Kowalski’s playground will have fitness stations because of his spirit and endurance in childrens’ triathlons.
Still others are in the planning stages but they may even incorporate a victim’s favorite color, favorite activity or favorite symbol. Grace McDonald’s playground will be adorned in peace signs which she loved to create on fogged up mirrors and windows. Her mom found the outline of one on a window at her house shortly after she died and had the glass etched in pink and then preserved.
The new project is known as “The Sandy Ground: Where Angels Play”. Although honoring the school victims is the main purpose, the Union is thinking of building many more playgrounds in violence-scarred cities such as Newark and Camden and then moving on from there to other states.
Bill Lavin, President of the Firefighters’ Mutual Benevolent Association, is very passionate about this initiative.
“While these parks will bear the names of the Newtown victims, they are dedicated to all children of violence,” he said. “This is not just about Newtown. A massacre is occurring one child at a time in our inner cities.”
PHOTO CREDITS: New York Daily News, Firefighters Mutual Benevolent Association
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