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Parks for Every Body:
Access and Inclusion in Outdoor Spaces
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“ Advocacy is for all of us; advocacy is a way of life.”
- Alice Wong
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We believe every person has the right to safely access services, spaces, and facilities and we’re proud champions of park and open space accessibility. Our parks are designed with access and community in mind and we asked Brad Buschur, GWL’s Project Director about how accessibility plays a role in our park redesigns. Brad remarks: “For playgrounds, the approach we have taken is to create play opportunities for kids with mobility needs to get out of their chair and into a basket swing or onto a climbing structure or on a spinner ... Another consideration to guide our design recognizes the needs of those with invisible disabilities. For kids on the spectrum, it's good to include sensory play opportunities that are located away from high activity zones.” We have seen great use of all-ability accessible equipment such as the basket swing at Storrow Park and the inclusive spinner located at Reservoir Park. After Labor Day, playground renovations are planned at O'Connell Soutto that also includes accessible installations for everyone. Whether featuring pull-up bars or additional seating for wheelchair users or sensory equipment like a water feature or a quiet space to enjoy or decompress, these accommodations in our parks ensure kids and adults of all abilities can share the playground equitably. | |
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💡Did You Know?
July is Disability Pride Month
to mark the anniversary of the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
being signed into law.
Photo Credit: Julia - stock.adobe.com
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Summer Bucket List:
A Visit to Reservoir Park
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Last month, Dariana, GWL’s Food Resiliency Partnership Coordinator, shared her lofty plans to visit each one of Lawrence’s 48 parks. Checking one park off of the list, she visited Reservoir Park located on Ames Street in Lawrence and was immediately greeted by the smell of freshly mowed grass as a large crew maintained the landscape and added to the park. Dariana met Chris and J, two middle-schoolers hitting the courts, shooting hoops and enjoying the exercise equipment on site at the park.
All of the exercise equipment is available to the public and includes elliptical machines, a climbing gym, and weight equipment. These additions to Reservoir came as a result of conversations with residents who wanted to see the-park-with-the-most-beautiful-views enjoyed by as many as possible. Over the coming months, the park will undergo additional renovations that are also responsive to the input from residents. Plans include adding seating so people can watch the basketball and volleyball games or simply relax and enjoy the park as well as playground updates with an all-ability spinner.
Reservoir Park is a great destination that has a little something for all ages and abilities to enjoy. Between the sports courts, exercise equipment, walking/running track, and playground equipment every body can find something fun to do!
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And Then Save the Date for Glow Gala 2023! | | |
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Mark your calendars now! Our Glow Gala for 2023 will be held on Thursday, November 16, 2023.
Once again, the night will feature amazing auction items, exciting Eco-Art, remarkable raffle items, and fantastic food. Celebrating 20 years of Green Team (yes! 20 years!) we can’t wait to celebrate with you!
Travel back in time and check out pictures from our past Glow Galas!
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Healthy Living Comes Home:
Meals in a Mason Jar!
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Our healthy living workshops are an integral part of our programming. They empower participants to be more savvy consumers and better stewards of their own long-term health. With healthy living being core to our mission, it’s no surprise our staff believe in the same values. Since coming to Groundwork Lawrence in October 2022, Martha Levitt, Executive Assistant, has shared her love of cooking and delicious food with staff members hoping for a spoonful of gazpacho, a bite of pasta, or a bottle of her homemade vanilla extract. Martha’s love of cooking inspired a staff workshop with the goal of sharing her passion and giving staff a few easy, cheap, and delicious recipes to construct our own mason jar salads, showcasing healthy strategies for meal prepping for the week. Each staff member left with three mason jars full of protein, greens, and rich flavors as a result of Martha’s meticulous preparation of lemon pepper chicken, roasted chickpeas, fresh green goddess dressing, and an abundance of healthy and tasty ingredients.
Our staff, including recently hired Urban Adventure leaders that were on-site for training, enjoyed exploring new ways to prepare a healthy meal. For many, it was a reminder of how healthy living can be quick, inexpensive, and locally sourced – many of the ingredients are available at our farmer’s markets. To Martha, healthy living gives us balance in our life. As she puts it: “‘Heathy living’ to me means trying to strike balance in the various areas of my life; balancing family, work, meal-prepping healthy-ish meals, daily exercise and fun. Some days I achieve my balance goals and other days I don’t – but “seeking balance” is the real goal.” And we couldn’t agree more! What does healthy living mean to you?
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Community Engagement Team Grows:
Welcoming Our New Staff
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Alejandra Juárez-Díaz
Community Engagement Manager
“As the Community Engagement Manager, my primary focus will be on Climate Safe Neighborhoods. This project aims to foster a coalition of individuals dedicated to climate resiliency and environmental justice. Together we'll develop a community-centered strategy to address the impacts of the climate crisis. Additionally, I am excited to contribute to the expansion of the Pa'Lante Resident Task Force, which empowers residents to advocate for positive change in our community.” Learn more about Alejandra and the rest of our amazing staff on our website.
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Urban Adventures Kicks Off The Summer | |
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If it's July, then you know that means Groundwork is filled with the energy of youth as we welcome 40 high-school aged Green Team members, 8 Green Team leaders, 2 Urban Adventure Counselors and 4 Urban Adventure junior counselors to the staff. There is a lot of excitement around our summer programming as new staff and participating youth
embark on a summer’s worth of learning, working, and adventure.
Urban Adventures is a program designed for elementary- and middle-school aged Lawrence youth to explore environmental stewardship, continued learning, team building, and creative expression with, for this summer, a focus on urban agriculture. One of the things that makes Urban Adventures so special is the program’s talented and committed leaders. This year, they are leading a 5 week program at The Giving Club and the Guilmette Middle School as well as a drop-in program at the YMCA and the Lawrence Boys and Girls Club. With a carefully planned curriculum, they lead critical conversations about the environment, engage the youth in creative and thoughtful activities to explore the importance of healthy living and fresh food, and help them develop a service-learning project, all while mentoring and learning more about their young students.
Two of our leaders, Jecinta Kamau (junior counselor) and Jason Nunez (lead counselor) share that Urban Adventures is an opportunity to learn how to better Lawrence environmentally and make our community a better place. For Jecinta, a senior at Central Catholic High School, Urban Adventures is a time to work hard, have fun, and explore her hometown of Lawrence stating, “[UA] is fun because you have a lot of people to relate to. I feel safe and supported.” Our counselors really capture what makes Urban Adventures so special: it is a program for Lawrence youth by Lawrence youth, and it gives each participant - counselor and student - a chance to explore the city of Lawrence with a new, environmentally focused lens.
We thank Greater Lawrence Summer Fund-a fund of Essex County Community Foundation, the City of Lawrence Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) for supporting such an important program!
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Don’t Let It Lapse:
Renew Your MassHealth Coverage
Groundwork Lawrence is partnering with Health Care for All (HCFA), MassHealth, and the HealthConnector on the MassHealth Redetermination Campaign. This is an effort aimed at people who currently have health insurance through MassHealth and are due to renew their coverage. The goal of the campaign is to ensure Massachusetts residents stay covered as MassHealth resumes its annual redetermination process after a three year pause in deference to COVID. Groundwork Lawrence is proudly partnering with HCFA to ensure the healthy well-being of the community and make information about the renewal process easy and accessible.
Check out this flyer or visit our farmers’ markets for more information on how to make sure you remain covered under MassHealth.
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Changing Systems:
Resources For Social Change
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Our feature “Changing Systems” continues to be a welcome addition to our newsletters. Providing resources to our community on topics we are passionate about is important to us, and this month we want to share work by disability activists. | |
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Check out these books and more at your local public library, purchase them from your favorite bookstore, or from our community partner and local Lawrence bookstore, El Taller Cafe & Bookstore.
If you would like more resources on racial justice, please reach out to Dariana for more information!
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