Three-year-old Zachary Blakemore provided the original inspiration behind Unlimited Play. Zachary suffers from a rare genetic central nervous system disease (Pelizaeus Merzbacher Disease) that confines him to a wheelchair or assistive walking device. But like all children, Zachary loves to play.
When his mother Natalie would take Zachary to the park to play, the playground would only emphasize his limitations. And even more frustrating was the fact that the playground’s barriers that stopped him from playing also prevented him from interacting with the other children.
But after visiting an accessible playground while traveling to the east coast, Zachary’s parents Natalie and Todd began to dream of creating an accessible playground in Zachary’s hometown – and of the day when playgrounds like this would exist for children everywhere. They teamed with Zachary’s pediatric speech therapist, and Unlimited Play was born in 2003.
And what's more, they are a local family from St. Charles. They have built quite a few playgrounds in and around St. Louis and have more in the works.
They include:
1.)Gus's playground at Willmore Park- south city
2.)Cornerstone STL playground at O'Fallon Park- north city
3.)Kade's playground at Herculaneum City Park
4.)Discovery playground at Jaycee Park- St. Charles
5.)Brendan's playground at Westhoff Park- O'Fallon
6.)Tree Top playground at Shaw Park- Clayton
7.)Zachary's playground at Hawk Ridge Park- O'Fallon
8.)McAuley playground at Hansen Park- Cottleville
9.)Jake's Field of Dreams playground in Heartland Park- Wentzville
10.)Braden & Friends Challenger playground- Ste. Genevieve
11.)Hannah's playground- Breese, IL
12.)Kennedy's playground- St. Peters
13.)Dennis H. Rinderer playground- Highland IL
14.)Angie's Playground at Manion Park- Florissant
15.)Logan's Playground at St. John's Evangelical, South County
Here's a great video about Natalie and Todd and the great work they've accomplished. They have built amazing playgrounds in the Midwest and are branching out all over the country! How awesome is that! Go check out one of these playgrounds today, your kids will thank you.
Here's a great video about Natalie and Todd and the great work they've accomplished. They have built amazing playgrounds in the Midwest and are branching out all over the country! How awesome is that! Go check out one of these playgrounds today, your kids will thank you.
