Spotlight on ... Melaina's Magical Playland

One of the main things kids like to do is go to the playground, says Andrea Cunningham.

But for Andrea and Jeff Cunningham's daughter, Melaina, going to the playground wasn't easy. Melaina was born with nemaline myopathy, a neuromuscular disease that causes muscle weakness.

And the family soon found that playgrounds "were restricting on so many levels," Andrea says.

Melaina had to use a wheelchair, making navigating pea gravel or mulch difficult, if not impossible. "We had to carry her," Andrea says. "It was taking away from the social aspect of the playground; she couldn't engage (with other children)."

Melaina's Magical Playland (Laura Simon ~ lsimon@semissourian.com)

And that's when the idea for Melaina's Magical Playland was born.

The Cunninghams began researching playgrounds that were accessible for children of all abilities. "We wanted it be inclusive, and give everyone a chance to play," Andrea says.

What they found in their research was that such a playground is expensive. Very expensive. "We were blown away," Andrea says.

Still, she wrote about her desire for an all-accessible playground on her daughter's CaringBridge site. And the ball started rolling.

The Cunninghams were contacted by then-state representative Scott Lipke who offered to help. Lipke hoped to get money designated toward the project; he wasn't successful, but he did get word out about the project. Soon, others were getting involved.

"Cape County stepped up, donating the land and $150,000 seed money," Andrea says.

Tom Kiefner of Kiefner Bros. got involved, donating his company's services.

The Cunninghams reached out to local service organizations, businesses and schools. "It started a domino effect," Andrea says. "We would get $5 bills in the mail or $10,000 checks."

And the fundraising was critical in making the vision for the playground come alive.

"We came up with sketches (for the playground), and interviewed companies," Andrea says. "We have a lot of custom pieces."

They knew they wanted the theme to be magical, "but not too girly." So a castle stands at the center of the playground in bold, primary colors.

Part of the playground's magic comes from the details: two metal slides for children with cochlear implants, stations that teach sign language and reading Braille, ramps leading to the highest level of the castle and a spongy surface made from recycled tires -- easily navigated by wheelchairs.

The same year planning and fundraising efforts for the playground began in 2009, Melaina Cunningham died because of complications of her disease. The park in her memory opened Sept. 27 of this year and is already a popular place for families and children.

"It's actually more than I ever imagined," Andrea told the Southeast Missourian recently. " ... People in the community really stepped up to bring it to life in the way (we) dreamed it would be."

HOW TO HELP

A maintenance fund has been established for the upkeep and future additions to Melaina's Magical Playland. To donate or for more information, visit magicalplayland.org.