The Children’s Hearing and Speech Centre of B.C. on Kaslo Street will soon have a new playground thanks to a group of Canadian Tire owners and Tire Stewardship B.C.
Principal Janet Weil, the centre’s executive director, finds the whirlwind situation a bit of a miracle.
“We would not have initiated it. While we saw the need, the fundraising we need to do has to support our other programs,” said Weil.
The centre’s priorities include expanding its occupational therapy program and individual essential services.
She said everything for the playground was donated at an estimated cost of $125,000.
“For our kids, it’s really going to help support so many of their early learning needs,” said Weil.
Last Saturday, Canadian Tire volunteers worked together to assemble the playground in wet weather. They hefted plastic rooftops that read “Kids Only” and installed outdoor metal xylophones. Weil described it as a “sensory playground” using sight, touch and sound.
“Where the children see it as play, we can see the certain intent to the structures.”
Weil said the playground will help the children develop upper body strength, something they need to remain seated upright in class or to be able to write.
“Sometimes when kids don’t have good upper body strength, it impacts on all of their learning,” she said.
Highlights of the project include green drums for children to bang on and a section with plastic balls designed to distort images and delight the eye when the kids look through it.
The slide is a green metal frame with black rollers so when children go down it, the rollers moving under their hands and legs add a tactile element to the experience.
A large green plastic dome with holes in it, reminiscent of an alien house, was installed for kids to climb over and under. A local artist will help with the finishing touches by hand-painting the edges and replacing stale grey boards with scenes of stars and animals. As well, a “natural” grassy area and forest are being created with wooden logs, and a sandbox will be installed in one corner. Recycled rubber from B.C. tires will be poured onto the ground this week, sealing in the new structures.
“It’s poured in place, almost like cement, so rubber is bound and nothing is loose,” said Rosemary Sutton, executive director of Tire Stewardship B.C. “This type of rubber surface is appealing to people due to safety because of the bounce factor and it’s easily maintained. It’s why people choose this over pea gravel or bark mulch.”
Tire Stewardship B.C., which recently recycled its 70th million tire, has a community grant program through which it offers funding for organizations that use B.C. rubber for their projects.
“We’ve given over $3 million to more than 190 projects in 80 communities across B.C.,” said Sutton.
She added if the centre had applied for the community grant independently, it would have been rejected because it’s not publicly accessible. The non-profit society, however, was approached by Canadian Tire, which is a stakeholder in the tire recycling program.
“It’s a special case,” said Sutton. “We wanted to because it’s an organization that provides service to the whole province of B.C. A unique one-of-a-kind project.”
Families are welcomed to use the playground as long as the centre is open, Weil said. Children have to be accompanied by an adult, either a caregiver or parent, at all times.
The official ribbon-cutting launch of the playground is May 20.
To learn more about the centre, visit childrenshearing.ca. To learn more about Tire Stewardship B.C., visit tsbc.ca.
