Join in where?

Contact Ken, she will let us know when things start rolling.

__________________
This is the world we live in
And these are the hands were given
Use them and lets start trying
To make it a place worth living in.

Let's see how the power of the press plays out here.


No way to playBy Jon Campisi
Times Staff Writer

As with most childhood memories, the ones that generally offer the most comfort are the ones that come flooding back upon a return to a specific place.
For Michele Henderson, that place is a playground at Abraham Lincoln High School.
But, unfortunately for Henderson, the playground at Rowland Avenue and Vista Street is far from what it was during Henderson’s younger years.
Now, the recently shuttered Mayfair Memorial Park remains a ghost of what it once was — the near-empty, gated lot marking a sad end for a once-vibrant play space.
"It was one of the most exciting things that happened in the neighborhood," Henderson recalled of the playground’s opening day.
According to Henderson, around two weeks ago the School District of Philadelphia made the decision to close the playground, stating it would not pay for the upgrades that would be needed to keep the playground operable.
In Henderson’s eyes, that’s unacceptable. And so the Northeast resident decided to take it upon herself to attempt to bring the playground back to life.
For the past couple of months, Henderson has been seeking funding from local businesses and corporations through the Robert O. Henderson Sr. Epilepsy Awareness Foundation, an organization she started with her two sisters in honor of her late brother, Robert, who died from an epileptic seizure in 1993 at age 41.
The foundation was the subject of a state House of Representatives resolution last year, officially designating Oct. 23, 2007, as Robert O. Henderson Sr. Epilepsy Awareness Day.
The prior year, Philadelphia City Council passed a similar resolution.
As for the playground, Henderson said it is in dire need of upgrades, including making it more compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act, to benefit children with epilepsy and seizure disorders.
"We wanted to make it very, very safe for all kids," she said.
Some of the upgrades needed, Henderson said, are more absorbent outdoor matting to cushion falls, and new equipment, such as a tubular or "pizza" swing, which is an alternative to a traditional swing, and surrounds the entire child to make for a safer ride, especially in the event of a seizure.

At the beginning of the process, Henderson contacted the office of City Councilwoman Joan Krajewski and was put in touch with aide Pat Costello. Unfortunately, although Henderson said Krajewski’s office was "wonderful in assisting," Costello basically told Henderson that the city couldn’t do much to help out since the playground was school district property.
During a brief phone interview, Costello acknowledged that the equipment on the playground was "donated years ago," but said it would be up to the district to remedy the situation.
Henderson said her involvement thus far has come in the form of contacting various businesses and organizations — one large one that she didn’t want to publicly identify — to see about donations.
"We don’t want to own it (the playground); we don’t want to be responsible for it," Henderson said of the extent of her foundation’s involvement, "but we want to make it safer for all children."
And Henderson wants the school district to rename the playground after her brother, whose dream was to become a Philadelphia police officer before his hopes were shattered upon learning of his disease at age 17.
Robert eventually ended up taking a job with the Philadelphia Gas Works, but his employers never learned of his ailment. Why?
Because when Robert was first diagnosed, "you never, ever said the word ‘epilepsy,’" Henderson explained. "The doctors said, ‘don’t tell a soul; he’ll be an outcast, and that’s it.’"
However unfortunate, companies, even to this day, continue to discriminate against people with epilepsy, Henderson said. The stigma is simply hard to shake.
But the disease itself is quite serious, and Henderson said many people are unaware of the dangers that go along with it. Her own brother died during a violent epileptic fit in which his neck was broken. Henderson, who has worked in the medical field for decades, said of her brother’s death that she "never saw anything like that in my life."
Henderson said many people are still unaware of just how problematic the disease is. In 2006, more people suffered seizure-related deaths than women who died from breast cancer, she said. And today, one in 100 people are estimated to be diagnosed with epilepsy or a seizure-type disorder.
"People are unaware of epilepsy," she said. "They have this one mindset. They don’t realize it can kill or create brain damage."

Aside from her goal of revamping the playground, Henderson works to raise awareness about epilepsy in other ways.
The organization, which started out as a mere memorial foundation, now holds events such as fund-raising walks, the next one scheduled for Oct. 19, at 10 a.m., at Academy and Red Lion roads.
The foundation also presents awards and savings bonds to area students who have promoted epilepsy awareness.
While Henderson has since moved to the Far Northeast from her native Mayfair, she still has family near Lincoln, including young nieces and nephews who could benefit from an upgraded playground in the area.
"If they (school officials) want to keep people in the neighborhood, they have to have these types of things," she said of the importance of recreational outlets for children. "We’ve got to save this playground."
But it will take a commitment, particularly on the part of the city and the school district, to ensure that the playground helps to usher in new memories for younger generations.
"We are going to need support from the neighborhood all the way up to the city (and) to these big organizations," Henderson said. "It’s going to be baby steps, but we’re going to do it."
But much to Henderson’s dismay, her dream may not come to fruition. The reason: the playground may simply be turned into an overflow parking lot for the high school, its original intended use, according to school district spokeswoman Felecia Ward.
Ward said the district has determined that it does, in fact, own the piece of land in question. But it was originally supposed to be a parking lot, and it became a play space sometime over the years after the district agreed to accept play equipment funded by an anonymous donor.
The problem, she said, is that the district never agreed to maintain the equipment or the space, and when a need arose for upgrades, the district could not, and would not, agree to spend the funds needed for improvements.
And while Henderson said her organization would raise the necessary funds and only seeks approval from the district in order for her group to move forward and spruce up the lot, Ward said that it may be out of the question. The reason is that school district lawyers cautioned that it could lead to lawsuits if a child was injured while playing on the district-owned property.

Now all that remains at the playground, or what Ward statexd community members refer to as the "weekend tot lot," are a couple of benches and picnic tables. The lot will remain padlocked until the district decides for sure what to do with it.
Henderson said she is disappointed, since she may have to start canceling previously scheduled meetings with companies that could have been potential funding partners.
As for Henderson’s desire to devote much of her life to epilepsy awareness, she admitted many were surprised at her decision, especially given that she is a survivor of breast cancer. But to her, it was a no-brainer.
"People said to me, ‘You had cancer; why aren’t you working on something for cancer?’" she said. "My whole thing is, everybody knows about cancer."
And even though Robert is gone, her brother continues to be an inspiration to Henderson.
"He’s a figurehead ... because we want other people with epilepsy to know ... that he still went on (living), and he succeeded," she said.
Robert lived with the disease for 26 years, managing to work, marry and raise children. Luckily, he only managed to suffer epileptic episodes at night.
"He was an example of, ‘You can do it,’" Henderson said. ••
Reporter Jon Campisi can be reached at 215-354-3038 or jcampisi@phillynews.com

__________________
United we stand. Divided we fall.

Parent: Don’t blame
me for the closure

By Jon Campisi
Times Staff Writer

Melinda Mulvenna has a message for the citizens of Mayfair — don’t blame her for the closure of the playground at Rowland Avenue and Vista Street.
The playground near Abraham Lincoln High School was recently shut down by school district officials, who stated they would not supply remediation costs related to upgrading the outdated play space.
The parcel of land is, in fact, district property, but the play equipment, dating back many years, had been purchased for the community by an anonymous donor. The district never agreed to maintain the area, known by many as a "weekend tot lot."
"I have become the most hated person in Mayfair," Mulvenna said.
Mulvenna claims she has received much backlash having informed the school district that her then-22-month-old daughter, Kaylee, was injured on the playground. She said many in the community blame her for the lot’s closure.
Kaylee, now 2 years old, was playing on the lot in mid-March when her foot got caught under the protective matting on the ground, and she went face-first into a metal bar, leaving her with facial injuries, according to Mulvenna. Pictures provided to the Times show the youngster’s injuries, which included swelling above her right eye and bruising on her face.
Mulvenna said her intent was never to have the playground shut down. On the contrary, she has hoped that the incident would be an eye-opener for district officials, whom she feels have overlooked the dire conditions at the playground.
But her actions had the reverse effect and caused many of her neighbors to question why she ever opened her mouth in the first place.
The general sentiment, she said, was that "I should never had made the stink that I did, but it’s not (their) child being hurt," she said.
Mulvenna said the district’s argument against not wanting to maintain the playground — namely, that the district is afraid of lawsuits being brought on by potential injury victims, since the equipment would not be school district-owned and regulated — is without merit.
"You know a kid is going to twist their ankle; you know a kid is going to fall and get cut, because that’s what kids do," she said.
"Everybody tells me I should sue them (the district) over this. What’s that going to prove? What does this say to the children, the ones who are going to take care of us?" she added on the downfalls of raising children in a litigious environment.
Mulvenna said having the playground shuttered could actually be detrimental to the neighborhood, since it creates an additional place for teenagers to engage in negative behavior, such as drinking and smoking.
"I don’t want that for my children," she said. "That’s why I’m even regretting saying, ‘Hey, this is a problem spot.’"
But Mulvenna did speak up because, as she said, she cares about the community.
Mulvenna said she spoke to a representative with the Mayor’s Action Center, which fields calls from constituents, who assured her the city will do what it can to remedy the situation. But she was also told that the playground’s future will ultimately be up to the school district. A meeting between school officials and those concerned about the fate of the playground is pending, she said. ••
Reporter Jon Campisi can be reached at 215-354-3038 or jcampisi@phillynews.com

And a letter to the Editor of the NE Times:


Where, oh where,
has my little tot lot gone?

The parents and small children of Mayfair are wondering what has happened to the beloved tot lot at Lincoln High. This favorite spot was suddenly torn down with no warning. Aside from it needing some minor repairs, the playground was trashed with no plans (from what I hear) to rebuild.
How can they throw away a playground that so many worked long and hard to build in the first place? I feel awful when I think of the long hours it took that group of people years ago to get that all together. The school district may have owned the property but they have no right to suddenly throw away thousands of dollars of equipment that many from the immediate area donated. No one was given a choice.
Can someone figure out what happened here? It will cost tens of thousands of dollars to rebuild this, not to mention years. Where are our local politicians and civic groups here in the Northeast? Don’t the little ones matter?
Mary McCann
Mayfair

__________________
United we stand. Divided we fall.

Where were these letters posted, in yesterdays NE Times? I haven't seen it yet. Hopefully it'll put a spark under the districts azz to do the right thing. If the mats were dangerous, they should have just ripped up the MATS and left the equiptment in place.

They should have allowed the playground to be locked up until an assessment had been made as to how much work was needed. Seeing the playground there locked up might have made people more willing to help.

As far as them saying it was slated to be an overflow parking lot...I have NEVER seen that lot full of cars so the parking really isnt needed, just something they are throwing out...and with the new school coming I doubt people will be parking there and walking all the way back to the new building...

__________________
This is the world we live in
And these are the hands were given
Use them and lets start trying
To make it a place worth living in.

Do you know of a site or a picture where I can see what the new Lincoln is supposed to look like? I'm really curious.

I feel bad for the neighbor who is getting blamed for all this -- by SOME neighbors. All she was trying to do is bring to someone's attention the safety issues at the playground.

If the community can put up with the "students" from Lincoln at dismissal time roaming through the neighborhood reeking havoc, I think the school district could ante up and pay for the rebuilding of the playground they ripped up.

__________________
United we stand. Divided we fall.

I think putting her letter in the paper might draw more attention to her role in it...Really, how many people would have known otherwise.

__________________
This is the world we live in
And these are the hands were given
Use them and lets start trying
To make it a place worth living in.

I'm getting the impression that it isn't the cost of the equiptment that the school district is shying away from, it's the poetetial lawsuit, and in that reguard I totally understand. It's such a shame that nowadays everything is becomming extinct only because people have become "Sue Happy".

What happened to the old days when if someone sue'd someone they were basically the scum of the earth?