Summer Fun!

Wow! What a GREAT start to the summer! We have instituted several new programs this summer and have served 134 members of our community in new and exciting ways - and we're only halfway through the summer! Read below to see all about our new programs:

Mosaics at Miracle: Participants came 4 weeks in a row to make different themed mosaic creations based on different themes. We had 9 participants each week. They enjoyed making mosaics of animals, beach scenes, Christmas scenes, and one week of free choice mosaics.

Dig and Discover: Eleven participants came to the park to dig and find raw rocks and minerals and then have them tumbled and polished to discover new treasures! They got to make and crack geodes, and dig for dinosaur fossils!

Fun Fridays: A new program for older teens and adults had 22 participants playing bingo in June! For July the plan is to do Music Bingo, and in August, they will have Trivia!

Salad Day with Miracle Park partners Growing Joy: We got together to sing and enjoy some freshly harvested aquaponic lettuce grown fresh by some of our favorite friends in the TR program when they went on a field trip to Growing Joy Farm! A good time was had by all, even in the rain!

Tea Time! 22 participants came to High Tea at the park. What a fancy, fun time complete with fancy table cloths, tea, finger foods, fancy hats, and, of course, teddy bears!

Sensory-Friendly Playtime: Perhaps our most needed and most popular new program so far! We had 52 participants at these two sessions! Miracle Park is for ALL, and we like to include everyone, but sometimes inclusion can look differently! In order to include some of our friends, we need to create protected spaces for them. Often times our beloved park is so crowded that it is too overstimulating for some of our friends, so we decided to close the playground for two short periods in order to give them the space they need to be able to enjoy our facilities. Our community was GREAT about this! While we did advertise on our sign and social media, inevitably, some people came to play and did not know that the playground area of the park was closed to the public. These families respected the need for some friends to need a smaller setting to enjoy the playground. THIS is inclusion!  

Stay tuned for an update at the end of summer on other new programs!

Thanks for supporting Miracle Park! If you'd like to donate to help aid our expansion and continued commitment to creating a place for EVERYONE to BELONG - donate on our website: miracleparkrockhill.com

Kindness Kiosk for Miracle Park!

The Gifted and Talented class at Northside Elementary School of the Arts have been working in their architecture and design unit with their teacher, Mrs. Waltmire. The kids were tasked with designing and constructing a "kindness kiosk" along with imagining what product they would sell to raise money for a charity.  

Here is a glimpse into Lyla Seibert's imagination and kindness for Miracle Park!  What a great presenter!  Keep it up Lyla, your imagination and presentation skills are going to take you on an exciting path in life! 

Kids giving their hearts to the park!

Lilli Jane had so much fun making her grandmothers lanyards for their face masks that she decided she wanted to do more.  Following in the footsteps of Emma Sessions and Alana Fincher, she enlisted the help of her sister and started making lanyards to put on social media to sell.  She said, "I don't need the money, so I want to give it to the Miracle Park."  Since the park still needs over $1,000,000 for phase 1, this is a great thing!

After they had some "stock" their mom, Alice Davis, put them on Facebook, and after several weeks sold 73 lanyards!  They also sold some bracelets and even had one order for 16 bracelets!  In combination of some "extra" donated money from supporters they eventually raised $1700 for the park!

Kids doing good for the park has been contagious!  We love all fundraisers, but there is something special about kids pouring their hearts into a project that they already know is going to make such a big impact in our community! 

Please reach out and let us know how YOU can help us raise money!  EVERY $1 is spent well and put to great use!

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. 

Overcoming Obstacles with a Smile!

Alana Fincher and her family that supported her in her mile walk around Manchester Meadows.  She raised $1,000 in sponsorships, during her journey to walk, for the Miracle Park!  What a miracle!

Friends and family have sponsored Alana Kai-Ann Fincher, 8-years old, raising $1,000 in sponsorships to encourage her to accomplish her goal of walking all the way around Manchester Meadows (1 mile)!  

Alana was born with hydrocephalus and hypotonia - which affects her muscle control, ability to perform certain day to day tasks without assistance, and delays development, which affected her ability to speak or walk.  She was over a year old before she could sit up (she never crawled because her arms and legs were not strong enough).  As a determined little girl, she started to walk on her own when she was three years old, she was using ankle braces and specially made orthopedic shoes since she was a baby due to a hip and leg curvature. Then, she started talking (without singing)  when she was four!   

She had a set back in walking a couple years ago with an ankle injury, but that didn't hold back this determined girl, now, with a bright smile on her face she is walking over a mile at a time!  "She has had, and continues to have, such great support from family, Unique Pathways in Rock Hill Schools, in home aide supports, physical, occupational, and speech therapists, Bright Starts, and more!" - Wanda Fincher, proud Grandma, says thankfully.

Alana, an 8 year-old student at Finley Road Elementary School, and her PawPaw have walked almost everyday the past year with the goal to walk all the way around the soccer fields at Manchester, and this week, she did it!

"Her progress was initially slow, but has really progressed exponentially over the past two years." - says Wanda, who serves as her in home aide support.  A year ago she could walk about 20 yards at a time, now after working hard she can walk over a mile!   "Each night I (PawPaw) come home, she pulls me out the door ready for an evening walk around the neighborhood." - Says Bobby Fincher, her Grandfather.

I had the opportunity to walk this celebratory mile with Alana, her Grandma, PawPaw and brother and the inspiration is powerful!  Once you set your mind to something, and have someone to support you along the way, you can do anything!

Alana has told me that once the "new park" opens she will walk around that park with me too!  I know there are more stories like Alana's out there and I can't wait to see them accomplished at the Miracle Park - because miracles happen everyday! 

Share your miracle story in the comments below or email us at rockhillmiraclepark@gmail.com.

Alana runs to the finish line at Manchester Meadows after walking a mile around the park.  Just one year ago she could only walk about 20 yards at a time. 

 

Baking for a Good Cause!

Emma, a future volunteer at the Miracle Park, raised for the $1500 by selling 1600 cookies around Valentine's Day! She is only 12 years old and wanted to make a difference, she sure did! Thank you for your dedication and support!

Her brother, Ben, helped her deliver the cookies and say "thanks" to those that supported her mission!