To the editor:

We on the Owen’s Playground team are still overwhelmed by the outpouring of enthusiasm and positive energy present at the grand opening of the playground on July 16. Estimates indicate that close to a thousand individuals from Bainbridge Island, the Kitsap Peninsula, Seattle and across the country attended this community celebration. Thank you, Bainbridge Island and beyond!

From the beginning of this project through its joyful conclusion, we have been so grateful for your generous support. We cherish the fact that our community enthusiastically endorsed the concept of building this safe, fun, accessible space. The virtues of compassion and inclusion — which our world so desperately needs right now — are in full evidence at this park. The natural education through exposure and familiarity, we hope, will engender understanding and help foster acceptance of all the differences manifest in humankind.

Most visitors to Owen’s Playground will not have physical or mental challenges. For them, this will be the “rockin’ new playground with the cool toys, art and yummy gardens.” But for those who do need smooth surfaces, wide seating, and clear sight lines, this space provides a vital link to peers, community and the outdoors. This new space affords all the opportunity to play together and learn from each other in a very natural way. Who we see in our community spaces matters; no one should be left out.

SARAH BRANDT-ERICHSEN AND STACY MARSHALL

Bainbridge Island