Who We Are
The Friends of the Magical Bridge are parents, professionals, teens and residents who envision a better Palo Alto. Our vision is to have a community without physical or social barriers that
celebrates all of its members.
This playground will provide educational and play equipment
suitable for people of all physical and mental abilities
How It All Began
When Olenka Villarreal discovered her daughter Ava had developmental challenges, she had a lot of learning to do. One of the first things she heard was that vestibular movement, like swinging, is helpful but, sadly, none of the local playgrounds had swings with seats for someone like Ava.
Since Ava's upper body strength limited her ability to hold the swing chains, she started a (pricey!) therapy program. It wasn’t long before Olenka came to terms with the realization that Palo Alto couldn't provide the most basic aspects of play for her daughter. Where were all the other "special" kids playing? She was amazed to discover that, despite Palo Alto's good intentions, none of its parks were truly accessible.
Olenka joined the Board of the Friends of the Palo Alto Parks in 2008 and decided to make a difference for a forgotten subset of the community. With their encouragement, generous guidance and land donation from the City, a vision emerged. Let's build a new kind of playground, one with an accessible playhouse and stage and let's start breaking down barriers. Olenka invited some of the most generous and hardworking people she knew to join her and The Magical Friends emerged with a vision of bringing the magic of play to everyone.
Local philanthropic organizations like The Rotary Club and the Kiwanis Club have joined the vision, and we hope this project motivates others to jump in. The Magical Bridge Playground is being designed to take accessibility to a whole new level, and Palo Alto is the perfect place for it!
Board of Directors
• Jocelyn Alexander
• Stacey Ashland
• Walter Barry
• Sally Bemus
• Dawn Billman
• Melodie Brenner
• Angela Butler
• Karl Garcia
• Kit Gibbs
• Kathleen Hughes
• Wenda Puzzo
• Debra Szecsei
• Sue Todd
• Olenka Villarreal
• Carol Zepecki
|
Youth Engaged in Service (YES) Team:
• Charlotte Barry
• Sara Billman
• Evan Cox
• Marie Ezran
• Peter Hughes
• Emily Szecsei
|
Contact us
www.magicalbridge.org
www.facebook.com
Magical Bridge - Park
Friends of the Palo Alto Parks
www.friendsofpaparks.org
A 501(c)3 non-profit since 2003
Tax ID: 56-2424-518
For more information:
Olenka Villarreal
olenka@magicalbridge.org
650-380-1557 |
