A grassroots effort that started a year ago to bring a wheelchair swing to Leesburg came to fruition Monday with a ceremony and a huge smile on the face of the first child to officially enjoy it.
Nine-year-old Koltin Snyder took his place in the swing at Rogers Park shortly after 3 p.m. and after the official ribbon-cutting event, his grandfather, Frankie Fodrie, of Leesburg, gave him a push to set the swing in motion.
The effort to put the swing at Rogers Park started last year with Mark Stapleton, owner of 441 Thrift Store. He launched a fundraising effort to raise $3,000 after reading about a similar swing in California. He said he believed that handicapped children in Leesburg deserved to have their own swing to enjoy and he wasn’t going to stop until it came to fruition.
“I’m happy as can be,” Stapleton said Monday at the brief ceremony. “It’s been a long journey but it’s done. It can be enjoyed for generations now.”
Stapleton’s effort was significantly boosted by a $500 donation from Bill Bryan Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. Internet Sales Manager Saleena Chanan-Faulkner presented Stapleton with the check last February and on Monday she was busy taking pictures and smiling as Koltin as he enjoyed the swing.
“Just to see the experience from his face is just ‘Wow.’ It just melts my heart,” she said. “We are truly happy for the opportunity to work with the community to get this wheelchair swing. It’s beautiful.”
Fodrie, who also donated $500 toward the effort, agreed.
“We just wanted to do something to help out the community,” said Fodrie, who has lived in Lake County since 1982 and Leesburg for 24 years.
The swing was delivered to Stapleton’s business last March and then picked up by Leesburg Recreation Crew Leader Stephen Strickland for the short ride to a city facility, where it was kept until a specialty pad could be installed in the popular park near Venetian Gardens.
This past October, Leesburg commissioners agreed to spend close to $29,000 for a safety surface pad that was put down underneath the swing. The pad had been recommended by the swing’s manufacturer, according to a memo from Purchasing Manager Mike Thornton.
The city originally sought bids from local contractors for the pad and installation of the swing, but none expressed interest. So, the city reached out to resellers of playground equipment for potential installation companies. Two bids followed, one for $28,717.46 from Play Space Services Inc. and another for $11,905.50 from Precision Playgrounds Holdings Inc., which didn’t include the recommended safety service.
