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Playground for LGBTI families to open in Florida
Families of all shapes and sizes are to benefit from a new interactive playground in Florida, USA, specifically designed to create a safe space for LGBTI parents, children, and straight allies to network.
The playground will be built at the Fort Lauderdale’s Pride Center – a community center which provides social services including counselling, mentoring, exercise classes and HIV testing – in order to support the growing number of LGBTI families in the South Florida area.
Surveys of local LGBTI parents have indicated there are insufficient resources and services locally, and that same-sex couples parenting children have their own set of unique challenges.
‘With the national legislation of gay marriages and state adoptions by gay couples, we are evolving to fulfill our mission,’ said Robert Boo, CEO of The Pride Center.
‘As our stakeholders expand their families, we must be prepared to respond to this changing environment and the playground build is an ideal start.’
When completed, the playground will be roughly half the size of an NBA basketball court (2,500 sq ft), and will use ideas from local children to ensure the space supports their creative development.
Following a design day last month (August 18), 20 children illustrated their dream playground and shared their designs with the project managers.
‘I like rainbows and a lot of things that challenge the muscles – such as a rock-climbing wall, tire slides and tall slides,’ said 12-year-old Adele Barsky Moore.
‘I’d like to see a Florida-themed playground that has underwater fish, a coral reef, mermaid designs and maybe a grotto.’
The Center has launched a fundraising challenge in order to raise the $75,000 needed to turn the playground into a reality, and is calling for 150 volunteers from the community to help construct it on October 16.
Boo added: ‘A playground is more than just a physical space. Creative play is developmentally important for our children and future leaders.
‘It’s a brain-expander, a friend-maker and a mentor-connector,’
‘Together, with our national benefactors plus the support of the local business community and volunteers, we can meet our mission of providing a welcoming space that celebrates, nurtures and empowers the LGBT community and our friends and neighbors in South Florida while setting an example for other national organizations.’
To volunteer, visit the Pride Center website.
The post Playground for LGBTI families to open in Florida appeared first on Gay Star News.
Mel Spencer
www.gaystarnews.com/article/playground-for-lgbti-families-to-open-in-florida/
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