Tony's Place park: for children of all abilities
Nonprofit seeking funds for playground at Seven Presidents Park
BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer

LONG BRANCH - The founder of a sports program for children with disabilities asked, "Do you know one of the worst times of day for a child in a wheelchair?" And then he answered, "Recess."

That is why Paul J. Hooker and the nonprofit he founded, Challenged Youth Sports Inc., based in Middletown, are embarking on a project to create a playground for children of all abilities in the Long Branch area.

"We started Challenged Youth Sports in 1990, and providing an accessible playground for this group made perfect sense to me," said Hooker.

"It is just that easy," he said, adding, "Finding more fun things to do for this very special population."

Hooker, his wife, Margo, and the nonprofit group they started together almost two decades ago are working to see that a playground for children of all abilities will be constructed at Seven Presidents Park on Ocean Avenue in Long Branch.

The playground will be called Tony's Place and will mark the second playground of its kind to be built in New Jersey, according to Hooker.

Challenged Youth Sports created Challenger Place at the Dorbrook Recreation Park in Colts Neck in 1999 with the help of the Monmouth County Park System and public donations.

Challenger Place is a park where able-bodied children and children with disabilities can play together, Hooker said.

"The first playground quickly became a 'destination playground,'with bus loads of children from around the state attending," Hooker said. "We feel the community will simply love this facility.

"It is not a playground for children with disabilities," he said, adding, "It is a playground for children with all abilities, meaning that children with disabilities may play with their able-bodied friends in a ramped-accessible environment."

The new park is estimated to cost $700,000 and Challenged Youth Sports Inc. has raised about $75,000 to date for the project.

The park is being constructed and paid for by the Monmouth County Park System and it will be a county park, according to Hooker.

"[The park system] is counting on us to provide as much of the funding as we can, as it's going to cost more than anticipated," Hooker said. "We are just counting on the public to send donations to help us out and to please contact businesses they may want to donate to this wonderful playground that will benefit children from the entire area."

Hooker added, "We need help."

"We have raised about $75,000, but it has taken us over two years and it's not enough," Hooker said. "If we don't raise additional funds, we may have to leave out some of the fun equipment we had hoped to include.

"We are relying totally so far on individual donations," he said. "We could use the help of some larger companies or groups to get behind this project."

Anyone interested in making a donation for Tony's Place can visit www.challengedyouthsports. org.

Hooker said he is anticipating that bidding on the project will start in the fall and the new playground will be completed by Spring 2009.

"[Seven Presidents Park] is an ideal location [for the park]," Hooker said. "It is next to an existing pavilion with bathrooms, food facilities, beachfront and existing parking."

The park will feature equipment that can be used by able-bodied children, as well as children with disabilities, according to Hooker.

The park will be ramped to allow access for children in wheelchairs. The swings will be bigger for children with certain disabilities, and the equipment will be play sensitive, Hooker explained.

One such example of play-sensitive equipment is a raised sandbox that will be constructed with elevated sand tables for children in a wheelchair or a walker who cannot get down to the ground, Hooker explained.

"Children in wheelchairs just can't use the traditional playground, including those with other disabilities," Hooker said. "This playground is so much more accessible to all."

Playgrounds are places where both the educational and therapeutic needs of all children can be met, according to Hooker.

Swings, slides, sandboxes and jungle gyms help sharpen the development of gross motor skills and sensory systems, he said.

"Playgrounds are ideal environments for children to learn the intricacies of interaction and cooperation with others," Hooker said. "It is possible for a child who uses a wheelchair to enjoy something as simple as a swing and enjoy it alongside his able-bodied friends."

Tony's Place is being named after Dr. Anthony Musella, who was one of the first coaches in Challenged Youth Sports Inc. and an avid supporter and friend of the program, according to Hooker.

The Challenged Youth Sports program is designed to operate the same way the playgrounds operate, Hooker said, explaining that they both allow for children with disabilities to interact with able-bodied children.

The nonprofit group is a sports program that allows for children with disabilities to play sports alongside an able-bodied "buddy," Hooker explained.

The program is for children with disabilities from all over Monmouth and surrounding counties. The children play soccer, basketball, softball and tennis alongside their able-bodied buddies, according to Hooker.

"Through the years, we have found that the buddies receive as much, if not more, from the program than our children with special needs," Hooker said.

Challenged Youth Sports Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and all donations made to the group are tax deductible.