Bob and Paola Pizzano established
the Joey Pizzano Memorial Fund after their six-year-old son’s death
in a tragic drowning accident. It was their way of giving back to the
community following the outpouring of help and sympathy at their loss.
To honor Joey and his love of the water, they focused the fund’s work
on water safety education for other children with special needs. Since
1998, more than 5,000 young people in the Washington metro area have
participated in JPMF Splash. In this award-winning program, volunteers
work one-on-one with children with disabilities on skill-building games
and water safety exercises under the guidance of certified instructors.
The benefits are triple fold: children with disabilities master safety
lessons and build a foundation for learning to swim, teenage volunteers
learn to see beyond disability to ability, and everyone – volunteers,
students and their families – has a great time together. The fund
has also supported the Park Authority’s Adapted Aquatics and Clemyjontri,
the agency’s fully accessible playground, as well as other programs
benefiting the special needs community. Now, following up on the success
of JPMF Splash, the fund is raising money to build
a spray ground, Our Special Harbor, at Lee District Park. (An accessible
treehouse is under construction at the park’s family recreation area,
with an accessible playground to come next.)
Why expand the Joey Pizzano
Memorial Fund’s work? It was a natural evolution.
We have four sessions of JPMF Splash at three sites in Fairfax County,
the Red Cross has referenced the Splash approach in its water safety
instructor manuals and the international Safe Kids Coalition plans to
pilot programs modeled on Splash at five locations elsewhere in the
U.S. It was time to try something more to provide these unique families
with opportunities for fun.
Why a spray ground?
We have children with disabilities and children without disabilities,
so we know how hard it is for families like ours to find places where
we can all have fun together. We want to provide an accessible haven,
Our Special Harbor, for all families, regardless of ability or economic
status. We want to help create a place for family time.
Features? Our Special
Harbor will be a zero-depth spray park with a Chesapeake Bay theme,
because Joey loved our home on the bay so much. The spraying attractions
will include a water maze with changing patterns, a crab boat, rainbows,
osprey nests, water benches that will give you the feel of sitting under
a waterfall, a light house and a skipjack with tumbling buckets and
water cannons that the kids can shoot. And it will have special wheelchairs
that can go into the water.
Time line? We’re aiming
for ground breaking on June 1, 2010, and opening on Memorial Day, 2011.
But we need to raise $1 million so timing depends on our progress towards
that goal.
Why partner with parks?
We saw an opportunity to expand interactive family activities by working
together. We share the same goals. Parks support family enjoyment
and encourage families to play together. Parks are committed to giving
everyone equal access to recreation and fun.
