Harpers Playground

Support our Largest Inclusive Playground Project to Date!

Harper’s Playground is fundraising to build a radically inclusive playground at Marshall Park in Vancouver, Washington. With your help, we will create a radically welcoming and nature-infused space where everyone will play together. This is the largest inclusive playground we've built to date with a total budget of $3.88 million. As of May 2023, we've raised $3.74 million! This means we are are only $140,000 from our goal!

This vital project addresses the City of Vancouver's need for accessible public outdoor play spaces through the redesign and construction of an inclusive playground. The original Chelsea Anderson Memorial Play Station (CHAMPS) at Marshall Park was a vital part of our community. This project will continue to honor the memory of Chelsea Anderson and the heartfelt generosity of the donors and members of the Vancouver Fire Department who made this memorial possible.

A PARK FOR ALL

This site was selected for its central location, accessibility by public transit, and proximity to other community assets including Legacy Health’s Pediatric Rehabilitation Center, Luepke Senior Center, and the Marshall Community Center. The project directly advances our mission to create a more inclusive world, one playground at a time, where people of all abilities can play together and thrive.

The newly designed Marshall Park will be physically, socially, and emotionally inviting for users of all ages and abilities. The former playground was inaccessible and dominated by wood chips and plastic stair-laden structures near the end of their 25-year life span. These unnavigable features excluded thousands of children and their caregivers who experience mobility-limiting disability from the physical and mental health benefits of outdoor play. 

A RADICALLY INCLUSIVE VISION

The re-envisioned playground will feature accessible and explorable play areas—smooth paths, sloping hills, and a skatepark for wheelchair users and skateboarders. We will install equipment that fosters collaboration and interaction among users of diverse abilities—slides, swings, musical instruments, and Washington's very first wheelchair swing. This and the Integration Carousel will be accessible for people who use wheelchairs. The redesign will capitalize on existing amenities (picnic shelter, mature trees, community garden), use long-lasting materials (logs, boulders), purpose built and existing landscaping (rolling hills, trees, sand/water areas), and feature bronze sculptures of native animals to delight and inspire players of all ages. The new playground will meet the social and physical needs of kids and seniors, and foster inter-ability and intergenerational exchange. 

HONORING THE HISTORY

The redesigned play area will carry on the legacy of the existing firefighter theme throughout, and will even feature an added custom fire truck. A special tribute area will be created for the preserved Chelsea Anderson Memorial features. Memorial plaques will be integrated into the design, and updated donor brick paving will recognize those who contributed to the memorial.

The re-envisioned playground is slated to open summer 2023—pending we meet our fundraising goal! This project has broken ground and is officially now under construction. You can find an up to date fundraising thermometer HERE.

Be a champion for inclusive play. Support CHAMPS @ Marshall Park. Donations of any size are appreciated! Will you join us?