Athlete Highlight: Layne

Layne loves the swings on the playground.

For Layne and his family, one word describes Miracle Park best: joy.

Layne has been part of Miracle League for three seasons, and the experience has become something his whole family looks forward to. His parents say what they love most is being part of a community that accepts them exactly as they are with no explanations necessary. At Miracle Park, there is no pressure, and everyone is celebrated.

Being involved has given Layne the chance to spend time with peers outside of a school environment, building friendships and simply enjoying being a kid. For his parents, it has also provided something rare and meaningful, the opportunity to just show up and be present with their son. In a life that often requires careful planning, Miracle Park offers one beautiful thing that is simple and easy.

Layne especially looks forward to soccer and basketball in Phase 2, where he’ll have even more opportunities to play and connect with others. But some of the most meaningful moments happen off the field. His family says Miracle Park is truly Layne’s happy place, especially when he’s on the playground, swinging as high as he can with a huge smile across his face. Those moments are priceless for their family.

Through Miracle Park, they’ve also met other special needs families, something that reminds them they are not alone on this journey. Layne’s family is especially grateful for the volunteers who make the games possible, the staff who keep the park running smoothly, and for Terry Hagen, who they say is simply amazing.

For Layne and his family, Miracle Park is more than a place to play, it’s a place filled with joy, connection, and belonging.

 

Phase 2 and 3 updates

Phase 2 is under construction 

Click here to learn more about 

Miracle Park's next phases and view renderings.

The next park phase of the park will include:

• A large 60x40 yards multi-purpose field suitable for flag football, bocce, tennis, soccer, lacrosse, kickball, basketball, volleyball, pickleball, and other programming

• A second Miracle League baseball field

• A 2,600-square-foot Education Building, providing indoor space f
  
  or programming, theme nights, training, workshops, meetings, dances, parties, arts and crafts, adaptive equipment storage, and more

• Additional parking

• A programed therapeutic fishing pond with Walking Trails

Watch below to learn WHY this park is so important!

Phase 3

In addition, an 8200-square-foot retail Space is being built at the corner of Richmond Drive and Cherry Road. This space is being funded and operated by MaxAbilities to train, employ, and serve people of all abilities.  This will include meaningful workforce development opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Through this retail space, Miracle Park aims to provide education, coaching, resume-building, and pathways to permanent employment.

Our partnership with MaxAbilities of York County, whose mission is to maximize abilities by Teaching, Empowering, Advocating, and Mentoring, brings invaluable expertise in inclusive workforce development. MaxAbilities is committed to supporting future tenants with job coaching and employee placement services to ensure all individuals have the opportunity to thrive in the workplace.

Aug 14 update

Construction is still progressing!  But we sure would love the rain to go away to complete it sooner!  Stay tuned!  Mark your calendar for Sept 18, 4-7pm for the Grand Opening! 

Thanks to Bob Russell for our overhead shots! 

July 1 update

 

Phase One is well on it's way!  In the past two weeks we have seen the dugout roofs installed, more playground pieces in stalled, the donor area starting to form, insides of buildings continuing, and behind the scenes signs, sculptures, design happening.

BUT, that's not all!!! 

May 5, 2021 Playground update

 

Importance of Outside Play for Children with Autism

Importance of Outside Play for Children with Autism

By: Terry Hagen, Recreation Leader
Parks, Recreation & Tourism

Want to volunteer?  Coach?  Be a buddy?  Play in the Miracle League?  Fill out this survey.

Unstructured play is critical in the development of ALL children, but children on the Autism spectrum play very differently than other children. Many of them struggle with stimulation in play spaces that cause them to respond in ways that can be disruptive. The way they react might include flapping, pacing, screaming, throwing what looks like a temper tantrum or harming themselves. They also tend to play off to themselves, they don’t like loud noises, they line their toys up, they repeat the same action over and over and they struggle with imaginative play.

Because of this, many families with children on the spectrum might not feel comfortable taking their children places because they also don’t want to disrupt other families from their activities.

Miracle Park will be a place for ALL children to play together as one unit. Since it is geared towards inclusive play, many of the families who will take their children there are dealing with some of the same behaviors and obstacles as other parents who will also be there, so since they are all accustomed to these issues, no one will feel disrupted. The feeling of inclusion that is so important for children is also VERY important to caregivers because it’s comforting to be around others in similar situations.

Because children on the spectrum struggle with over stimulation, the more exposure they have to play spaces, the more accustomed they will become to the sights, sounds and structure of Miracle Park. Building exposure can help lessen the struggles and they can learn to respond to different noises, sounds, and environments. So, the more parents expose their child to Miracle Park, the more the child will be able to adapt to various stimulators.

Miracle Park has been designed with all these important things in mind. The colors are from a playful color palette but are not over stimulating. The park will have interactive play equipment that focuses on play but also includes activity that utilizes all 5 senses, movement, and balance. IF the child happens to become overstimulated, there is a place where the child can go to calm down.

Miracle Park will also have signage that includes letters, words, and pictures to promote communication skills. Many children on the Autism Spectrum and their families already use the PECS system to communicate. PECS stands for Picture Exchange Communication System. Having letters, words and pictures at the park will allow the family to continue communicating with their child they way they typically do at home.

Miracle Park will be completely fenced in and all playground equipment is built in an area that provides a complete line of vision from all areas so parents can see their child anywhere on the playground and know they are safely fenced in.

All equipment is also spread out to allow room for play without a child being overwhelmed and without feeling overcrowded.

Playing outside in the natural light of the sun is much healthier than artificial lighting. Children spend most of their day in school with fluorescent lighting or on computers/tablets with lights that can overstimulate. The best medicine for that type of overstimulation is natural lighting.

Children on the spectrum pick up on the moods and anxieties of their parents and siblings. Many times, the family is too worried about how the child will “fit in” or behave in public settings, that they don’t enjoy their time together. Children on the spectrum can pick up on that anxiety and feed off the energy of the family. At Miracle Park, parents and siblings can all relax and enjoy playtime in a safe, secure, nonjudgmental, accessible setting.

The playground will be free of charge. Many families have limited income and parents struggle to find affordable activities for their child to safely play.
Providing a park where ALL children can play for free lifts one extra burden off the families.

For the children on the spectrum who don’t have back yards to play in or who spend the whole day confined to their desk at school, having a free open field that is securely enclosed to play and run around in is an ideal way to release pent up energy.

Many typical playgrounds allow for plenty of big muscle play. All children, especially children on the spectrum, also need manipulative play, pretend play, sensory play, quiet play, and creative play. Miracle Park has the ability and the equipment to provide all of this and more to everyone.

Miracle Park will also have Yalp interactive equipment such as the Sona Arch and Memo Pillars where they must use a variety of senses to play along. These activities also help with following instructions because they are given verbal cues to see what the next part of the “game” will be. 

Playground Features

Want to learn more about some pieces at our playground being installed this fall and how they can benefit all that use them? Click below to learn about individual pieces.

Merry-go-ALL

RoxALL SeeSaw

The Arch Swing

Sensory Spinner

Swings

The Yalp Sona

The Yalp Memo

Musical Elements

Outdoor Exercise Equipment

Zip Line your way!

Sensory Cove Climber

The Inclusive Whirl

The Sensory Dome

Want to see a full video overview of the playground and park? This is dated, but the playground hasn't changed much.

A big thanks and shout out to Comporium who is helping fund the playground to make this unique, one-of-a-kind playground happen in Phase One!

Once it's open the City of Rock Hill's PRT department will operate and maintain this facility as they do the other city parks! Thank you Rock Hill, we are blessed to live in a city that supports ALL people with ALL abilities!

Inclusive Whirl

The Inclusive Whirl provides ease of access for people of all abilities with its zero entry design.  The whirl surface platform is at ground level with no need for ramps or transfer mechanisms.  It features bench seating (at transfer height), a large platform surface that exceeds the ADA requirement for turn-around space and handrails for users to grasp while spinning!  Who is ready to ride???

Sensory Dome

How will you or your children express themselves on this playground piece?!?!  You will start to see it being installed in the VERY near future! 

The Sensory Dome features multiple pathways to crawl on, through, around, and over.  It has a chain pod to access the top of the dome from underneath and bells on the side!  There is full access for a child in a mobility device to travel inside the dome. 

Can you help with the cost of this piece?  www.miracleparkrockhill.com 

 

Sensory Cove Climber

Children use the Sensory Cove Climber as a quiet space to rest, relax and gather with friends. It's the perfect place to observe play from a distance until you are ready to join in, or a sensory-relief area, when necessary. More than a seating and gathering area, this versatile product doubles as a climbing activity.

The Yalp Memo

The Yalp Memo, great for brain training for ALL ages and abilities, provides a lot of fun in a confined space and encourages gamification.  Gamification is the application of game thinking and game techniques and shows you can quickly learn new things without the use of guides or manuals.  Although the Memo may be a technically advanced playset, its operation is child-friendly and intuitive.  

With a big library of games to choose from, the Memo is one of the most versatile and dynamic outdoor play products in the world. It stimulates younger players to play together and cooperate creatively.  

In general, children are wholly unaffected by everything and just do whatever comes up in their heads.  That's why we've programmed all our games with simple rules that can be easily modified.  The Memo is intuitive and open to creativity and stimulates younger players to develop their own sets of rules and ideas. 

Zip line YOUR way!

This piece of equipment will be similar to our zip line and will allow all children to zip and race together! Here is Kidus, who has low muscle tone and needs the support of the swing, racing his cousin!

This zipline was installed in the new All Play Together Inclusive Playground in Tega Cay, which was manufactured by the same company that will build the Miracle Park playground- Cunningham Recreation/GameTime who is also a SPONSOR of the park!