Catalina Rotary Club - Tucson, Arizona

Milagro Playground

The Catalina Rotary Club's Centennial Project
to Create the Miracle of Experience

What is Milagro Playground?

To commemorate Rotary’s 100th anniversary, Catalina Rotary Club spearheaded the effort to bring to Arizona its first fully integrated and universally accessible playground for children (tots-12) with special needs. Milagro Playground is in Jacobs Park, a regional park near Miracle Mile and Prince Road. The playground's state-of-the-art play and recreational opportunities are available to all the citizens of Tucson and surrounding areas of Pima County. Milagro Playground was named for the miracle (milagro, in Spanish) of play it brings to ALL of Tucson’s children. This universally accessible playground creates a model play environment where individuals with and without disabilities can participate together in exciting recreational activities and healthy outdoor exercise.

What does universally accessible mean?

At least 70% of the play activities the playground offers can be enjoyed by children with physical disabilities without having to leave their support equipment behind. The equipment and play areas are sensory rich, enabling children with developmental and/or sensory disabilities to actively, safely and enjoyably participate with peers without disabilities. The result: social inclusion. Parents with disabilities who have had to watch their children play from the sidelines can now share in their play on the ramped play areas.

What will I find at Milagro Playground?

Milagro Playground includes wheelchair accessible picnic tables, a 720-foot Challenge Circuit that surrounds the park, a Triple-Shootout basketball court with baskets of varying heights, seat walls and a Tot Lot. The Tot Lot includes a sand and water play area, swings for tots, climbing structure with slide, a teeter-totter, diggers, surfaces made of rubberized cement (Tot Turf) and a shade structure. A play area for 5-12 year old children features ramped play modules and discovery learning stations.

The total cost of the project, including in-kind services, was nearly $750,000.

What's next?

Catalina Rotary's commitment to Milagro Playground is ongoing. Every year we celebrate the playground's dedication with "Milagro Day." Bus loads of special needs children and their teachers descend on the playground for fun, games and lunch. A great time is always had by all.

Artist's rendering of Milagro Playground

Artist's rendering of the play area for ages 5-12.

Who has participated in the project?

The playground represents a collaboration of government, business, private parties and non-profit foundations. The land for the park was donated by the City of Tucson, which will maintain and insure it in perpetuity. The City of Tucson Parks and Recreation Department and former Vice Mayor Kathleen Dunbar championed the project. The Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities also contributed significantly to Milagro through a grant from the State of Arizona. Committed Rotarians and non-Rotarians alike have contributed thousands of hours of professional “in kind” services.
Examples include:

	Landscape architect and Rotarian Anne Warner and her company Planning Resources designed the playground.
	Architect and Rotarian Sam Robison (Robison Associates) gave hundreds of hours as site coordinator.
	Sign designer David Carranza of Sign-A-Rama provided signage for construction site.
	Rotarian John Munger maintained the legal eye for the project.

Thanks to the following contractors for donating their time
and services to Milagro Playground:

Contractor: Linear Construction - Tom Alfonso
Surveyor: Everett Trueblood
Fencing: Biff Baker - Bill Baker
Irrigation: The Groundskeeper - Paul Mueller
Excavation: R.W. Strunk Excavating - "Buckey" Strunk
Paving: Best Paving Co. - Tim Knutson
Concrete & Seatwalls: Creations Masonry - Domingo "Mingo" Torres
Decorative Stone: Kalamazoo Materials - Chris Carriuolo

Thanks to the following foundations
for providing financial support:

Long Realty Cares Foundation
The Stocker Foundation
Christopher and Dana Reeves Paralysis Foundation
Tucson Association for the Development of Residential Environments, Inc.
Tucson Conquistadors
Tucson Rodeo Foundation
Gannett Foundation
The Wings Like Eagles Foundation
The Rotary International Foundation
The Port Elizabeth Rotary Foundation
Alcoa Foundation
PICOR Charitable Foundation

The Joy of Play
The Gift of Opportunity
The Excitement of Challenge
The Miracle of Experience

	Service Above Self - to our community and the world