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The members of the Green Acres Elementary parent-teacher organization pose for a photo in front of the new all-abilities playground in North Ogden. (Courtesy Meg Sanders)

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The new all-abilities playground at Green Acres Elementary in North Ogden. (Courtesy Meg Sanders)

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Jerika Mays and Sheen Miles pose for a photo. (Photo supplied)

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Sheena Miles is easy to laugh these days. In fact, she can’t stop smiling.

After years of fundraising, knocking on doors, posting signs, begging for money and writing grants, hundreds of kids in North Ogden city will have two new playgrounds at Green Acres Elementary, designed so every child can play.

Miles, along with several other parents, wasn’t willing to accept “we can’t afford it” as the final answer for a new playground. They organized, campaigned, raised the money and made it happen.

On Aug. 19, these parents, kids and community get to celebrate and play on their new playgrounds, which includes an all-abilities playground geared towards older children.

“Every single penny raise was because of the efforts of the PTO and our community,” said Miles. “I want this ribbon cutting to be a celebration of bringing the community together, to enjoy what we accomplished together.”

And they deserve to celebrate this culmination of a grassroots effort led by the Green Acres Parent Teacher Organization, with help from private donors, local businesses and a $200,000 matching grant from the Weber County RAMP program.

“When I stepped up and decided to make this happen, I was very naïve on just how big this project was,” said Miles.

Things really took off when she teamed up with fellow parent Jerika Mays. With a background in non-profits, working as an executive director for one, Mays knew what to do.

“She was so huge in the whole process because she just reached out to me and let me know fundraising was her jam,” said Miles. “Jerika took the reins on the grant writing and coming up with fundraising campaign. She has a very unique skill set. She was willing to give her time and energy to make these playgrounds happen.”

Getting to the $200,000 mark took more than three years with several barriers in their way.

“It consumed my life, especially this last year trying to push it over the finish line because there were so many barriers that we had to jump over because of the lack of support at a government level. There was no collaboration. It was really frustrating,” she said.

But the sleepless nights, time away from her family and battles with Weber School District were worth it.

Green Acres already had an all-abilities playground, donated by the Weber School Foundation about 10 years ago, but it was designed for kindergarteners and sits behind a gate separating it from the rest of the school. That meant older students with disabilities still faced a barrier during recess; they could use the accessible equipment but be separated from their peers, or join their peers on playground equipment they couldn’t access.

“It was very important for us to include the all-abilities features, especially for the upper-level playground,” Miles said. “The school’s Life Skills students are fourth grade and up. The playground was a barrier, separating these students from their peers because they could either go play on the playground that’s gated for kindergartners or be by the equipment their peers are on that they can’t even access.”

The biggest piece of that funding puzzle came from Weber County RAMP. The RAMP board awarded the project the full $200,000 matching grant, allowing the campaign to reach its goal and push the project across the finish line.

“Thank you to the RAMP board,” Miles said. “It was because of them we got the full $200,000 and reached our goal. This project absolutely wouldn’t have happened without that.”

RAMP, however, is not a long-term solution for funding school playgrounds, Miles said.

“We need fundamental change at the district level. A playground is absolutely an integral part of the education experience. There’s so much data that supports this. Kids learn through play so this needs to be prioritized,” said Miles.

For now, Miles wants to focus on what the community has accomplished.

“This playground is a tangible way to show what we can accomplish working together,” Miles said. “It’s really beautiful. We have to push through the barriers because I don’t care if it only benefits one child. It’s worth it to make that one child feel seen and that the community sees you and cares about you.”

The Green Acres Grizzlies will officially celebrate their two new playgrounds on Aug. 19 at 6 p.m. at Green Acres Elementary, 640 E. 1900 North.

After three years of work, the playgrounds are no longer an idea on a grant application or a fundraiser on a sign in someone’s yard. They’re real.

And the kids are ready to play.