A GENEROUS donation from a North York family will be used to create a new water-themed playground and sensory gardens in the community.
The parks and environment committee voted to accept a $1 million donation from local resident Goldie Feldman, to construct the new features at Earl Bales Park. Both the gardens and the water park will be designed to make it accessible to visitors with physical and mental challenges, and they could add such features as scented and edible plants, textured and sculpted surfaces and braille and audio descriptors to the 120-acre park.
Feldman’s donation was initially intended to be an anonymous gift, but will now serve to commemorate her late parents Morris and Sarah Feldman, both former area residents. The idea for the water playground and sensory gardens came after Feldman approached York Centre Coun. Mike Feldman (no relation) with her interest in donating.
“The big thing was you were not excluding kids with physical or mental challenges,” Coun. Feldman said. “You are now including them. They could go out and enjoy what other kids could enjoy.”
David Green, Goldie Feldman’s son, said the idea appealed to his mother from the start.
“She particularly liked it because it served such a wide variety of people, particularly handicapped people and kids, who were probably underserved in that area,” he said.
Others agree that the facility would be a welcome addition to the park.
“It would be a great resource for us,” said Marg Whelan, executive director for the Geneva Centre for Autism. “For the children we serve, in particular, but also any family that has a child with a disability, having a public place that is accessible, that helps them feel like they belong is an essential part of their success as a family and as part of our community.”
Whelan said the completed facility could integrate well with some of the work done by the centre, specifically their after- school, weekend and summer programs.
“I think it’s just a fabulous idea,” she added. “The Feldman family are very forward thinking.”
Green said the motivation behind his mother’s donation was simple: “I think she sees the park as a wonderful asset of the community,” he said.
“Some place that people — regardless of their station in life, their ability, their financial situation — not just in the immediate community, but in any community, can participate in and go and relax and enjoy themselves.”
Green added that while his mother likes to support causes close to her, her motivation is not one of personal gain.
“She always does stuff that she has some personal tie to,” he said. “She’s not trying to enrich her own lifestyle, but rather she experiences the needs of others on a personal level.”
And while the project, slated for completion next summer, represents a great addition to the community, Coun. Feldman said its influence extends beyond North York.
“It’s a city destination,” he said. “I don’t consider it a ward project.”