Trinity Health Foundation of East Tennessee has awarded Legacy Parks Foundation a $150,000 Phase II grant to create the Intergenerational Playspace at Beverly Park in east Knox County. Trinity’s two-phase proposal/grant process seeks partners to address posted topics of interest related to the general health and well-being of our region.
With this funding, Legacy Parks is partnering with Humana, Hillcrest Healthcare, TVA Retirees, Knox County’s Parks and Recreation and Health departments, and other groups and organizations, to coordinate the effort to create the Playspace which will include therapeutic, rehabilitative, nature and play activities for all generations and abilities.
The Playspace will feature an ellipse shaped central activity area surrounded by a walking track with handrail. Inside the ellipse will be the therapeutic zone and play area featuring equipment for both intergenerational play and physical exercise. The Playspace overlooks the newly added dog park and will connect to the existing paved loop. Benches and a walking Storybook trail feature will be added to the loop encouraging users to walk the loop to read the story – an ideal intergenerational activity.
The intent of the design is to create a place for rehabilitation and reflection, a place for generations to interact through activity, to stimulate the brain, body and the senses with a variety of physical, visual, audible, and cognitive experiences for all generations, and to take full advantage of all the benefits of being outdoors in nature.
Humana has awarded Legacy Parks an additional $20,000 to sponsor the therapeutic zone which will feature rehabilitative physical exercise equipment and activities for low impact, body weight exercises to focus on balance, muscle tone, and fall prevention. Hillcrest and other programming partners will be able to utilize the space for rehabilitation exercises with seniors in an outdoor environment.
The TVA Retirees Association and Bicentennial Volunteers will provide benches along the walkway to further their contribution to Legacy Parks Foundation and local parks. To date, they have funded benches at I.C. King Park, Sharp’s Ridge and Collier Preserve.
The entire community will benefit from the activities provided – adults with mobility and physical rehabilitation issues, active adults, families, and children will all enjoy the recreational experiences in a beautiful public space.
We are honored to receive another grant from Trinity Health Foundation to create this place that is purposefully designed to create active interaction between multiple generations, especially children and seniors.
