Celebrating play equipment for everyone

By Valorie Brecht It was a very special day for the Felix family of Spencer when they cut the ribbon on a new piece of playground equipment at the Spencer Lions Park last Friday. The piece of equipment features two zip lines, one of which has an adaptive seat for people with disabilities. The seat has chains that anchor it to the ground when the person is being put in the seat. Then the chains are removed and the person can be pushed along the track.

The zip line cost $30,000 to install. Sophia Felix, 10, of Spencer funded the project through her “Everyone Can Play” initiative. Sophia was inspired to create the inclusive playground because of her brother Noelie, who had health issues and was wheelchair bound.

“Noelie lived to be 8 and changed our lives,” said Tracy Felix, Sophia’s mom. “We learned that kids are not always treated equally, especially on the playground. My kids couldn’t play with their older brother.”

Noelie especially enjoyed swinging in an adaptive swing the family had at home, but he couldn’t swing when he went to the park because it didn’t have the proper equipment. Sophia wanted to change that for future kids.

When she was running for Lil’ Miss Spencerama and asked what she would want to change about her town, Sophia said she would like to have a swing in each park that a kid in a wheelchair could use.

“She had a chance and platform, and knew she could make one small change,” said Tracy.

Sophia was named Lil’ Miss Spencerama and, with the help of her parents and grandparents, decided to start advocating to make her dream a reality.

“I’m really proud of myself. First I went to the village board. Then I went to the school board. Then I went to the Lions Club. I’ve been to many companies and businesses and made a speech,” said Sophia.

She even completed a grant application for the Marshfield Area Community Foundation, becoming the youngest grant writer the foundation has ever seen. She was awarded the grant. Everywhere Sophia went, people resonated with her idea and gave their support.

Over the course of two years, Sophia inspired the community to raise $47,210 to install adaptive swings at all the parks in Spencer – including the school – and the zip line at the Lions Park. She would be happy to help other communities get adaptive equipment for their parks. If interested, people can reach out to Tracy through the “Everyone Can Play” Facebook page.

Tracy said she couldn’t be prouder of what her daughter had accomplished and was happy to see it all come together.

“I want to thank all the donors, the Spencer Parks and Rec Department, and all the people that helped make this possible. I also want to thank my parents [Dan and Sally Rakovec] for helping get Sophia places and helping with the grant writing.

“The world can feel scary at times, but we can all make one small change to help make it better. Open your eyes and start to look at others, and you will be able to see one small change you can make… It all has a ripple effect for the greater good.”

At top, the rain let up enough Friday evening for Sophia and her family to get a photo outside by the new playground equipment. Shown l-r are Noel, Sam, Sophia, and Tracy Felix, and Dan and Sally Rakovec.

Above left, a youngster enjoys a ride on the zip line.

Above middle, a sign lists the many donors that made the inclusive playground possible.

Above right, Sophia takes a turn on the zip line herself. Below, Sophia was comfortable in front of the microphone, explaining to the crowd at the ribbon cutting her process of raising money. The crowd included Legion members, village board members, community members, and friends and family. After the ribbon cutting, attendees celebrated with ice cream sundaes.