Pro Rehab – Vincennes
November 7, 2022
Christyn’s Place is the first project that the Vincennes Rotary Young Leaders organization participated and contributed to with the earnings from the 2022 Vincennes Historical Half Marathon. Christyn’s Place is a park installation that will be placed in Four Lakes Park in Vincennes, Indiana to provide a comforting place of healing and hope for those that have lost a little one. We are honored to be able to help give a safe and happy place for families to celebrate their children who have passed away.
This project was inspired by the beautiful and happy life lived by Christyn Harrington. Christyn is the daughter of Barney and Chelsea Harrington. Her family and friends suffered a devastating tragedy after her passing in May of this year. Christyn was such a happy girl and she played hard. She went from sun up to sun down enjoying each day. She loved being outside and she enjoyed nature so much. Chistyn brought so much happiness and life to those around her, making this project a perfect tribute to her and other children lost but not forgotten.
This project is being lead by a committee made up of family and friends. These members include Dana Worland, Matthew Lindsey, Nathan Klingler, Becky Bogerg, Chelsea Harrington, and Shelby McCormick. Other supporters of the project are members of the Chelsea and Barney’s work family, Rotary (where Chelsea is the president elect) and Rotary Young Leaders.
In the midst of this tragedy, members of this committee and other friends of the family brainstormed ways to create a memorial in Christyn’s honor. All knew this project needed to be uplifting, and not something that brought more sadness and heartache. Anyone that knew Christyn knows she would have loved the thought of a park for others to enjoy. With the support of the community, Christyn’s Place will be a beautiful space for our thriving community and the public parks.
Tags :
Share This :
Christyns place will have many different features, including a memorial that will be created to allow other families the opportunity to engrave their lost children’s’ memory. This memorial stone will be in a lit landscaped area with a sidewalk up to it. Down the road, the plans include adding benches and picnic tables for families to sit together.
The committee’s vision is to create a fun, safe, and inclusive place for younger children to spend time outside. The committee feels that two very important aspects of the playground are that it is accessible for children with special needs and that it also has features for younger children. It will include toddler sized musical flowers. Each flower will be a different size, height, color and carry different musical notes and gong sounds. These flowers are so vibrant they will be enjoyed as soon as they are seen and are accessible to the littlest aspiring musicians.
Another piece planned for the park is a climbing butterfly net. Children can soar on the wings of a butterfly with this play functionally linked climber. The middle spine provides a more challenging climb for advanced climbers, while the wings allow for less challenging climbing experiences and opportunities to gather, rest, and socialize.
Also included in the plans is to have swings for all ages, an ADA compliant jungle gym with slides, and monkey bars.
Families in the community who have suffered such loss have seen the importance of finding fellowship with one another to help navigate through grief. Having this peaceful and happy bright space in our community to bring these families together will mean so much to all.
The Vincennes Historical Half Marathon organization and Rotary Young Leaders pledged $5,000 to this project up front and plan to play a large part in the planning, installation and upkeep of this project. We are proud to be able to help bring this vision to life and to help bring comfort to these families.
Learn more about Christyn’s Place and watch for updates on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Christyns-Place/100084123317042/
Vincennes Half Marathon Copyright © 2022. All rights reserved. Photos by Inzaption Photos.
