Project Playground

Junior League of Long Island

By Erica Rascón on Jun 29, 2016 in Giving, People

Junior League of Long Island (JLLI) is a woman-operated nonprofit organization that is committed to developing the potential of women, promoting volunteerism, and community improvement.

President Deidre Delay has been with JLLI since 2012. She sought membership with the organization because of its roots in empowerment and quantifiable change.

“I wanted a place where I could do community service work that was grounded in grassroots leadership and responded to the needs of my community,” begins Delay. “I also wanted to forge a connection to a larger organization that had a lot of impact when it came to things like lobbying or supporting women’s and children’s issues on a national and international scale.”

JLLI serves as a training ground for women, giving members the skills and resources they need to promote and create positive change in their communities. The women of JLLI can propose local projects to the organization, fundraise, and see the projects come to fruition.

JLLI hosts Project Playground, which ensures that children have safe, fun, and positive environments in which to socialize. The organization has constructed six playgrounds to date but the most recent playground is unique.

June marked the opening of the Haypath Inclusive Playground at Haypath Park in Old Bethpage. It is one of the few public parks in the U.S. to feature special equipment that is conducive to inclusion.

The idea for Project Playground came after a JLLI member saw a void in the community: “One of our members was in the community and she noticed that there was a playground missing. She said, ‘We have resources. We fundraise. I think it would be a great thing for us to donate a playground to a community of need!’ It started with one of our members proposing the project to the group and we’ve done it on a bi-annual basis since.”

The playground offers stimulation for children of various physical and developmental capabilities. All of the JLLI-donated and installed equipment, toys, and activity stations at the Haypath Inclusive Playground stand low enough for wheelchair access.

Fibar covers the playground surface. This bark-like material dissipates impact, so it’s great for kids at play. For youth with limited mobility, it is firm enough to act as a stable surface for wheelchairs and walkers.

The park also offers a different dynamic to play: “Because it’s a sensory playground, it allows kids to interact physically by running, jumping, and swinging and with their senses because children can sit in front of these different pieces of playground equipment and interact with them. For children with sensory issues or even for children on the autism spectrum, sometimes going to a traditional playground and playing with other children can be very intimidating or impossible. Here is an opportunity for all kids to get into a safe space, where their parents can feel safe bringing them, and they can engage in a way they wouldn’t be able to at a traditional playground,” explains Delay.

JLLI raised $30,000 to pay for the playground, including a donation from Yardi and contributions by the Town of Oyster Bay.

With fundraising under their belt, the women and their guests constructed the park in one, nine-hour period on a summer morning.

“From 7:30 in the morning until 4:30 in the afternoon, we got out here. We got sweaty, got our hands dirty. We built a playground,” said Delay.

While JLLI’s summer programs spark the imaginations of children, this year’s fall program will positively change the lives of at-risk women. First Step is an annual project that helps women transition from domestic violence shelters and rehabilitation centers into the workplace. JLLI offers counseling and job training, including resume development, mock interviews, clothing, and accessories for their job search.

“First Step is a great program for us,” says Delay. “In Long Island, like most of the country, we’re facing a crisis-level opioid and heroin epidemic. What we’re seeing is not just the impact on these women, but also on the families in our community. We’re really hoping to reach out to women in that position and give them a safe space to figure out what’s next in their lives.”

To support a Junior League in your area, visit AJLI.org.