"What Makes this Playground Matter"

Please take time to read what this playground will mean to Jenny Kreutzer and her family:

When I first heard of this project I was so excited because of all the possibilities it will create for so many people in our community, including myself.

I broke my back when I was 16 while on a church ski trip. I suffered an incomplete spinal cord injury. I spent the remaining semester of my junior year in high school in a Colorado hospital. By the time I left the hospital, I was able to get up on long legged straight braces and walk very short distances, but I decided that I could get more done and be more productive, in a wheelchair. As time moved on I began to throw myself into my life. Instead of dwelling on what had happened to me and questioning why, I decided to live my life. I went back to work at McDonalds and graduated high school with my classmates the following year. I went on to college and lived my life as if there was no disability in my way.

I was fortunate to have a very supportive family and boyfriend behind me the whole way. My boyfriend, LeRoy was skiing right behind me when the accident happen and he has been behind me ever since. LeRoy and I got married after college and moved to Wichita to pursue our career opportunities.

Since living in Wichita, I have been exposed to such amazing opportunities and experiences around my disability that I didn’t have in the smaller town I lived in through high school and college. I learned about an organization Wheelchair Sports and begun getting involved in that organization. I found that I love Wheelchair Tennis and I have discovered so many other activities there are for disabled people in this community: wheelchair hockey, horseback riding, bowling, to name a few!

In 2002 and 2005, we welcomed our daughters, Kelsie and Karlie into the world. I will admit, for the first time since my accident, I wondered how I was going to be able to manage. I wondered about all the things that I would not get to enjoy or share with them because I couldn’t get up and move around very well. But, as time went on, and I realized that most things I want to do with them I can. I can swim with them, play tennis with them, play in the front yard, etc. One of the things that we love to do is to go down the block to our neighborhood park. Our park is grounded with sand and is very basic. It’s got a slide and a couple of swings. We go to the park often, and my girls just understand that there are limitations with what I can do with them at the park. However, there are definitely times when they get frustrated and question why I am different than the other mommies. At one point we were at the park and Kelsie wanted me to help her up the slide. When I told her I couldn’t get through the sand, she said, “I wish I had a stand up mommy.” It’s moments like these that I just have to deal with the situation and teach her to accept it for what it is. I try to emphasize all the positive things about having a mommy in a wheelchair (like getting to sit on my lap and roll around the mall when she’s tired of walking). And I try to explain that I would do anything for her that I could and that I love her as much as a “stand up mommy” would.

Having a place to play and interact with my children in a park setting will help me to share in something with my children that most people take for granted. Even though my kids aren’t disabled, it will impact their lives because they mommy can play with them interactively. I think that is an added benefit of the Boundless Playscape. Obviously the most important reason for having this facility is for the children with disabilities. It will give them the opportunity to interact with able bodied children as well as their parents. It is a win-win. Both able bodied and wheelchair bound individuals will benefit from this.

Thank you for your time and consideration for this life changing project.