Media Contact: Lucie Fornasiero, EAFocus Communications; lucie@eafocus.com; 248.925.6726; Melanie Esland, LifeLab Kids; Melanie.Esland@LifeLabKids.Org; 248-635-5102
Ferndale, Mich. — June 2, 2023 — LifeLab Kids, a Ferndale-based nonprofit center offering therapy, recreation, skill development, and creative outlets for children with disabilities 18 months to young adult, is pleased to share the opening of the Jason Alba Therapeutic Playpark at its Ferndale campus. The park grand opening was commemorated with a private celebration of staff, friends of the organization, and local government officials on June 1. Jai Reddy, founder and CEO of LifeLab Kids, was thrilled to welcome everyone to the finished space.
“We’re excited to expand the inclusive space we have created at LifeLab Kids to include this new Therapeutic Playpark,” Reddy commented. “At LifeLab Kids, we believe that multi-sensory environments like this promote physical, cognitive, and social development in individuals. Developing this park is a milestone for our organization and will greatly enhance the experience we offer at LifeLab Kids.”
The park is named after the late Jason Alba, a father of a child enrolled at LifeLab Kids who was a strong supporter of the organization. Jason passed away suddenly in 2020, and in his honor, his wife Patty, alongside Jason’s Ally Financial colleagues, contributed significant funds to help make the park possible.
“Jason was such a wonderful supporter of his family and LifeLab Kids, and truly saw the potential in all individuals,” Reddy noted. “We wish he was still here with us, but we’re grateful we can carry out his spirit and support through the park.”
The new space offers something for everyone. The Therapeutic Playpark includes a fully enclosed mixed-use court for inclusive sports such as wheelchair basketball, volleyball and tennis. It is also equipped with a merry-go-round, climbers, and a swing that are handicap accessible, as well as hands-on musical elements like chimes and bongos. The park backs up to LifeLab Kids’ greenhouse, which offers a soothing and therapeutic environment where kids feel calm and regulated. Within the greenhouse, children can grow their own vegetables and learn about the life cycle of plants.
The Jason Alba Therapeutic Playpark transformed an existing 0.9-acre site at LifeLab Kids main campus through design by Birmingham-based architecture firm DesignTeam Plus and construction by Novi-based Cunningham-Limp. A video rendering of the invocative space may be viewed here.
About LifeLab Kids
Founded in Ferndale, Michigan in 2019, with a second location in Clinton Township, LifeLab Kids is an immersive therapeutic, recreation, and learning center that provides unique, comprehensive and individualized programming to help differently-abled youth and their families be healthy and active – and to belong. Empowering these individuals to see past their limitations and lead full lives, the 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization brings a multidisciplinary team together under one roof to collectively work with students to discover their strengths and engage in their passions. Learn more at www.lifelabkids.org.
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