Aurora Schools Foundation makes progress on adaptive playground

Students in Aurora noticed something that didn’t sit well with them: Their fellow students in wheelchairs were not able to access the current playground at Leighton Elementary School due to a lack of equipment and environmental obstacles.

So they did something about it. Through the “Aurora for Change” campaign, students across the district collected coins to put toward acquiring expensive adaptive playground equipment. Their efforts, coupled with the guidance of educators like Alisa Deininger, Lisa Leone and Kasie Burroughs, have been pivotal in driving this initiative forward and rallying broader community support.

The result: The Aurora Schools Foundation is partnering with the Portage Foundation as well as the George L. and Genevieve D. Moore Trust to donate $60,000 to an adaptive playground initiative, a project designed to create an inclusive and accessible play space for all students.

ASF is dedicated to enhancing the educational experience of students in Aurora City Schools by funding innovative grants that go beyond the school budget. The Portage Foundation is a community foundation based in Portage County that is committed to inspiring philanthropy and impacting various local causes.

The Aurora Schools Foundation contributed $10,000 of the $68,000 raised toward the first phase of the project. This phase will include the purchase of an adaptive We-Go-Round Merry Go Round as well as create a landscape free of mulch, necessary for wheelchair accessibility. Once completed, the playground not only will benefit Leighton’s students but also neighboring Miller Elementary and the greater community.

The Aurora Schools Foundation and the Portage Foundation partnered together to make an additional $50,000 donation to Phase Two of the project. These funds will support the installation of a ZipKrooz (a two-way zipline for all students), Chill Spinner (a freestanding playground seat that promotes balance and posture), shade, and an adaptive bench that accommodates wheelchairs. Phase Two will cost upwards of $82,000.