• Freedom Swing Ribbon Cutting/Maiden Voyage

September 27th was the day that Marna O'Brien Park had a wheelchair swing, known as The Freedom Swing, dedicated for use. It was the brainchild of local resident, then thirteen years old, Ashley Fox, a girl scout bidding to earn her Silver Award... and coincidentally a person confined to a wheelchair to get around.

If you do not know about Ashley Fox, and her Girl Scout Silver Award project, please follow this link to an earlier blog about her, and the project.

A good sized crowd turned out to see the ribbon cutting, including Mayor Marsha Swanson, Council Members Bridgette Moore, Tim Walker and City Council Candidate Israel Leija. A representative from Melissa Melendez's office and a rep from State Senate Candidate Bonnie Garcia's camp attended. PV Maintenance, the contractors that donated the installation of the swing, and Lake Elsinore Storm's mascot Thunder too (he, and his bosses, brought a donation check of $1000 with them).

The ribbon cutting was set for 5:30pm and the installation crew was just finishing attaching the swing to the frame at 5:00pm. I had a chance to watch Ashley make a test run of it, but it still being a brand new device, no one knew exactly how it worked. She actually took her first ride in it, backward.

Test drive... in reverse.

After a brief ceremony, with Mayor Marsha Swanson presiding, and a certificate of recognition for Ashley's accomplishment (raising more than $5000 for this swing) and sticking with it for more than six months of fundraisers, and even an installation delay of a month due to shipping issues, the symbolic ribbon was cut and the first official rides on the swing were had.

Kaylynn Turner, Ashley Fox and Thunder team up to cut the ribbon.

The rest of the story is told in the video below. You'll see the "test drive" of the swing, the introductions by Mayor Marsha Swanson, some background on the project by Bridgette Moore, a certificate of recognition from Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez's office, a check from the Lake Elsinore Storm for $1000 and a few words from Ashley on the project. You'll also see the swing being used by several people in wheelchairs, including Ashley's grandmother. She said it was her first time on a swing in 60 years.


You'll have to forgive the shortcomings of the audio, the microphone reacted poorly with the breeze.

Below is a montage of a few pictures during installation.

My only worry is about possible vandalism to the swing. When I was a young teen, I would have wondered how much abuse it would be able to take... or how well that padding was really glued down. In those days, I had no idea that my unbridled curiosity —as to an object's breaking point— would affect other people or the community. Let's hope such curiosity isn't overly represented by those that might chance upon the Freedom Swing in 2014 and beyond.

☺

If wishes were fishes, we'd all cast nets.

Wildomar Rap, plugging the holes where the rain gets in... because when it rains in Wildomar, it pours... and then it floods... and then people threaten to sue. Find me on Facebook, or subscribe by email to keep up on the latest.