Adirondack Inclusion Movement still working towards ADA accessible playground

SCHROON | Adirondack Inclusion Movement (AIM) is still hard at work to make the dream of a new ADA accessible playground at Schroon Lake Central School a reality. However, a slight wrench has been thrown into the plan; many funding sources for projects of that nature have been scaled back or redirected. Now, AIM founder and president, Amanda Drake, is more determined than ever to make the playground happen, but the reality is the new plan will be heavily- if not completely- reliant on residents and their generosity. "The community has already been super supportive- the Town wants to include us in their Comprehensive Plan- we have momentum as far as word of mouth and awareness goes," said Amanda Drake, AIM founder, president, and educator at Schroon Lake Central School. "The funding is just tricky." AIM is a 501(c)(3) with the goal of creating more accessible community spaces for people with disabilities. The organization's first major undertaking has been to raise enough funds for the playground, because, according to Drake, the current playground isn't working for anyone, and the new structure won't be just a place for those with disabilities. Rather, every child and caregiver living in and visiting Schroon will be able to take advantage of it. "We still need $175,000 by June of 2026, and we have just about $38,000," Drake shared. "It seems like a very big goal to be able to attain. A lot of grant opportunities don't want to give grants to a new non-profit, which we are, and this early in the game when we are still so far away from our goal." The playground Drake wants to install is one big structure that is all bolted together, making pursuing the project in installments a few pieces at a time impossible. Phase I has already been completed last year with the installation of a new ADA compliant tandem swing in January of 2024, and adults with disabilities are also able to enjoy it. "It's had a lot of use by so many kids, and I see mothers sitting in it with their babies," Drake observed. "Lots of people with and without disabilities are benefiting from it." Phase II, which is what the current call for donations is for, will be the main structure Drake spoke of and where the need for $175,000 in the next 11 months comes in. Phase III will be outpost, anything not connected to the main structure but still part fo the playground as a whole. "The last thing, the least flashy but the most important, in my opinion, is the pour-in-place turf," Drake revealed. "The pour-in-place rubber surfacing is incredibly expensive, like $100,000 to do a playground our size. And it has to come last." In total, Drake said the new playground will come with a price tag of $300,000. If the necessary amount of money fails to be raised in the next 11 months, Drake said they will have to downsize the scope of the playground. "Right now we have students with disabilities who can't access the playground and they are going to age out if we keep saving for $175,000 beyond that point," she admitted. Over the past two months alone, AIM has applied for over $60,000 worth of grants and also met with the Chief Disability Officer of New York State. "She explained that in this situation everyone is currently in, there are much fewer opportunities for grants and funding that comes from the federal government now that the political climate has changed- there just isn't a lot of money out there right now for these types of things," revealed Drake. "That was pretty deflating, we had a great start and this is a big road block. What government money is used and prioritized for is not the same as when we started." Drake expressed reticence to turn to the community again, acknowledging that Schroon Lakers have already been generous with AIM and every other local organization that fundraises, but the current state of affairs offers no other recourse. "I feel bad, our community is so small, we have 1500 residents in our district full time, every non-profit and organization and every class in Schroon Lake School are asking for money from the same pool of people you don't want to continuously ask neighbors and business for money because you know everyone else is too," she admitted. "But this is the only way this is going to get done." However, Drake believes that by bringing more ADA compliant features to Schroon, everyone will win, and the local economy will be better for it. "I don't think people are aware that 25 percent of the population has a disability, that is a lot of purchasing power and a lot of money that many places aren't going after because it is costly upfront, but you would see it in your local economy. It is smart business-wise for communities to be accessible for people with disabilities," she noted. "$550 billion in disposable income is coming from people with disabilities. They're not going to spend their money in places they can't access. The more accessible a town is, the more growth they are going to see economically as well. Universal design benefits everyone." In the past year, AIM continued to gain traction within the community. "Lil Richardson is a former teacher at SLCS and she turned 95 in December," Drake said. "A bunch of people donated to AIM in her honor and that ended up raising over $3,000! Also, last year on my son Lincoln's (who coincidentally was born with a skeletal condition and is one of the children unable to use the current playground) fifth birthday, we asked for $5 donations and raised over $4000. Other people have also donated as a memorial to someone who has passed away too, which is a really generous and heartwarming way to honor someone." AIM also partnered with The Lodge at Schroon Lake for their community night and raised over $2,500 total. "We also have a collection of t-shirts for sale on our website, and a portion of each shirt sale goes back to AIM," Drake said. "We are trying to figure out how to get an adaptive fashion line for our t-shirts so that lots of people with different disabilities can have options with their clothing." Drake is encouraging anyone with ideas to help playground funding to please reach out to her, and she will pursue it as much as humanly possible. "You can also help by becoming a member, sending a donation to P.O. Box 487, Schroon Lake, NY 12870, sharing our mission and/or social media, and letting us know about grant money available, and/or help with fundraising," she said To make a tax-deductible donation towards AIM's mission, please visit www.adkinclusionmovement.org. Follow www.facebook.com/ADKInclusionMovement for updates and for ways you can help.

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Adirondack Inclusion Movement still working towards ADA accessible playground

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