Crossroads Unity Family Park

Our mission is to construct an all inclusive playground which will meet the needs of not only children, but also adults with disabilities (parents, grandparents, and caregivers), allowing them to interactively play with their children in a safe but easily accessible play environment. Plans are in place for extra wide ramps to all play stations and a centrally located tree house structure with an exhibit room and surrounding decks. The entire playground will be covered with a safety surface, which will allow for easy transport of wheelchairs, walkers and crutches throughout the entire play area.

The park will be dedicated to all US Veterans, with special emphasis of those vets with disabilities. It also will be built In Memory of Corporal Troy Dyer, a hometown hero who overcame his paraplegic disabilities caused during his second tour of the Vietnam War.

At the request of a group of concerned volunteers, our Playground Committee was approved and appointed by The City Council of Ringgold, GA. We have accepted the responsibility to obtain and acquire funds necessary to purchase all equipment, structures and safety surface through any and all fundraising programs, grants and individual corporate sponsorships. The City of Ringgold has committed property for the park’s location which is near the swimming pool, soccer field complex, Patriot’s Hall, Nature Trails and Canoe Launch. The city will provide a prepared site with all engineering infrastructure, drainage and street parking.

We currently have a projection of needed funds set at approximately $750,000. (Hopefully this amount can be drastically decreased based on Individual and Corporate Sponsorships dedicated to Play Stations, Picnic Areas, Center Tree House and other large equipment costs.)

The committee has chosen to work with Play by Design from Ithaca, NY. They specialize in custom designs and custom equipment with special emphasis on meeting the needs of persons with disabilities. They also organize and provide on-site engineers who will plan and coordinate the Community Build Project. We hope to have sponsorship of volunteer teams from individual businesses and organizations throughout our area.

The park will meet the needs of so many local residents of all ages and abilities. In addition, Catoosa County, best known as the Gateway to Georgia, is adjacent to Interstate 75 so we hope our park will offer an opportunity of play for any families, as they travel, looking for and needing an all inclusive outdoor play space.

Our fundraising program meets the requirements of Tax Deductible Status by working in conjunction with The City of Ringgold, GA. Once complete, the city will permanently own, insure and maintain the park and its existence.

This is a very unique plan of inclusiveness. To this date, we are not aware of another park in the United States which emphasizes the needs of all inclusive family play time, with special emphasis on adults with disabilities. We hope that the idea will catch on in other areas throughout our great nation for future playgrounds.