Julie’s Jungle: Because Children Shouldn’t Have Limitations
As a child, playing on the playground is one of the most exciting things you can do; climbing things, jumping up and down, swinging on swings, running around and just using your imagination to have fun. Unfortunately, this privilege is something we take for granted. We often go without thinking that not all children are able to have this opportunity,to go to a playground and just be a kid. Some children are excluded from their siblings and friends, barricaded because of their disabilities, due to the fact that not all playgrounds are equipped to fit their needs.
Julie’s Jungle playground in Hopewell Junction has a different vision for these kids. At Julie’s Jungle, children with and without disabilities have the chance to play together, without limitations. The playground is 100% rubberized, making it easy to roll over with wheelchairs and walkers. It is also completely fenced in so parents can have relief knowing their child is not going to run away or out into the parking lot. For children who are in wheelchairs and can’t go on swings or seesaws, a favorite playground attraction is the AeroGlider, a piece that has seats and is wide enough to fit a wheelchair. It gently rocks back and forth and is a lot of fun, for able-bodied children, children with disabilities, and even adults!
The playground was carefully made with every little detail having a special purpose. There are plastic, as well as metal slides. Many people might think, “Why have metal slides, they get too hot in the sun?” For children who are deaf with cochlear implants, they cannot go down a plastic slide because it causes static electricity buildup which can temporarily silence the world to cochlear implants. So, Julie’s Jungle made sure to have metal slides so that children who are deaf can still play and be able to use their cochlear implants.
Janet McHugh, Founder and President of Julie’s Jungle, had the vision of a playground accessible for all children when she was a volunteer on the town recreation board, and a friend of hers pointed out that her son, who uses a wheelchair, was unable to play on playgrounds. So, McHugh started to look at the parks and ran into another woman on a playground with one able-bodied child and one child who uses a wheelchair. The able-bodied child was running around and playing on the playground while her sister sat in her wheelchair at the perimeter of the playground because the wheelchair couldn’t make it through the chips.
At one point, the mom had to run over to the able-bodied child in the playground and left the child using the wheelchair alone. “I watched this and it was the most heartbreaking thing in the world because this little girl could do nothing but just sit there in this wheelchair and just watch what’s going on. No one was interacting with her. She was segregated from all the other kids,” said McHugh. McHugh went over to the mom and asked if there was a place she could bring her child where she could use the wheelchair, but the mother said she didn’t know of any place around the area.
More and more, McHugh started to think about building a playground that’s accessible to all. She brought the idea to the recreation board and the town was excited because they just purchased the land of the old IBM facility.
The town didn’t have the money to do it and was not allowed to fundraise so McHugh started a charitable organization and her own 501c3, started to develop a board of members and was then introduced to Clare Moran, now Vice President of Julie’s Jungle. Both McHugh and Moran started to meet with people to get the idea going.
Then one day, a day that McHugh said, “I’ll never forget,” they were having a meeting about the playground and Bill Green, Recreation Director, came running into the office. Green said, “You’re not going to believe this. I got this letter here from this girl named Natalie Keating and she wrote a letter as an assignment for her class at Van Wycks Junior High School. She’s 12 years old.” For her assignment, she had to write a letter to someone about making the world a better place. So, she wrote to the recreation director, Bill Green. She thought making the world a better place involved making more accessible playgrounds in the town because she had just lost her sister, Julie, who had always used a wheelchair and they had never been able to play together. She wrote about the guilt she felt when she played on the playground while her sister could do nothing but sit there and watch. McHugh thought, “This is even more reason we have to do this, and do it right.” Natalie Keating and her family were an inspiration for them because they felt that a 12-year-old sees what adults didn’t when building playgrounds. The playground was named in honor of Natalie’s sister, Julie.
In 2012, the 501c3 was approved. The board started to fundraise and design. Natalie Keating even designed the elephant logo. “The goal was mainly to integrate the children so that they could play together, able-bodied and disabled,” said McHugh. So, the board tried to make Julie’s Jungle as inclusive as possible. With all the fundraisers, grants, and donations, they raised over $400,000. Initially, the playground was supposed to be half the size, but in development, it doubled. This also meant it doubled in expenses. The four-year project turned into a longer one. Finally, in June 2016, what they call “phase I” of the project was completed. For “phase II,” they plan to increase the size of the playground with more accessible equipment for the children. Julie’s Jungle plans to have little spring toys that younger kids can sit on, as well as a sensory garden.
There are big hopes and dreams for Julie’s Jungle, but it still needs to raise about $150,000 more to finish the project. Funds from Dutchess County and hopefully the government of New York will help, but donations from the community are also needed to help Julie’s Jungle reach its goal. Besides donations, Julie’s Jungle is also always looking for volunteers to help with fundraising and assisting at the events. Some of the fundraising events in the past have included spaghetti dinners, fishing derbies, Zumba classes, golf tournaments and their most popular event, Wings Fest, where they broadcast the NFL final playoff game offering unlimited beer and wings. Most importantly, they need help with spreading the word about Julie’s Jungle.
“It’s amazing how many people are touched by this. Everyone you know and that we’ve met, knows someone who can benefit from a playground like this,” said McHugh. She hopes that future playgrounds will be accessible for all children. McHugh believes that Julie’s Jungle “gives kids the opportunity for inclusion.” It’s not just for children with disabilities, but for their siblings and friends who can’t play with them. Natalie was 12 years old when she wrote about the guilt she felt and she can’t be the only one. “Julie’s Jungle is beneficial because it brings children together and makes them feel included, that no child is left out,” said McHugh.
McHugh thinks it’s most important to know that while Julie’s Jungle is partially built and open to the public, they are not completely finished yet and there’s still more that needs to be done before completion.
If you would like to donate or learn more about Julie’s Jungle you can visit the website: http://juliesjungle.org/
If you would like to come and play the address is: 5 Old Lime Kiln Rd, Hopewell Junction, NY 12533
Hours: Everyday, daylight hours and closes at dusk
