Wade's World of Wonder Playground
Wade's World of Wonder will “enable” all to play, whether they are runners, walkers, or wheelers. It is designed to be the largest, most inclusive playground in the state of West Virginia and will be a place where individuals of all ages and abilities will be welcomed to play together.
Donations can be sent directly to PCPaRC or click here to donate directly to Wade's World of Wonder. You can stay up to date on project developments by checking Wade's World of Wonder on Facebook or going to www.wadeswowplayground.com.
Wade's Story:
"The Mazza family lost their 4-year-old son, Wade, in 2011 to a rare brain disorder. "He was born with Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum (ACC), which is an absence of the connection between the left and right side of his brain. He was also born with multiple other medical problems, as well. He couldn’t talk, he couldn’t walk, he couldn’t do things for himself,” said Jason Mazza, Wade’s father. Although Wade was unable to walk, his family kept him active and he loved the outdoors. The only problem, he couldn’t always join in on the fun.
“With having two other children, we wanted to go to parks and we did go to parks. However, Wade a lot of times would have to sit in his wheelchair and just watch our other two girls swing and run around because he wasn’t able to do that because the playgrounds were not handicapped accessible,” said Laura Mazza, Wade’s mother. But to make sure other kids get the chance to play, the family is pushing for an all accessible and inclusive playground in memory of Wade.
“If we can find this equipment and bring it here, we just want to make other children happy and we want to try to find equipment that Wade would have enjoyed,” said Mazza. And the name couldn’t be more fitting. “We’re wanting to name the playground Wade’s World of Wonder Playground,” said Mazza.
The family has been working with Ingrid Kanics of Kanics Inclusive Design Service LLC and the Kingwood Pool Committee to help bring the project to life. Plans include everything from a zip line, group swings, and a merry-go-round where all kids can join in. They are also in talks with the Preston County Parks and Recreation Commission to build the playground on nine acres granted to the Commission near the new Preston Memorial Hospital.
“There is quite a few pieces of equipment that we are looking at where they can be transferred over, but there’s quite a few pieces where they don’t even have to be and they can rely upon themselves to be able to wheel themselves up onto the pieces of equipment,” said Mazza. The project is expected to cost around [$600,000], so the family started a memorial fund to help raise proceeds.
If you would like to donate, you can also contact the family at [email protected]."
Donations can be sent directly to PCPaRC or click here to donate directly to Wade's World of Wonder. You can stay up to date on project developments by checking Wade's World of Wonder on Facebook or going to www.wadeswowplayground.com.
Wade's Story:
"The Mazza family lost their 4-year-old son, Wade, in 2011 to a rare brain disorder. "He was born with Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum (ACC), which is an absence of the connection between the left and right side of his brain. He was also born with multiple other medical problems, as well. He couldn’t talk, he couldn’t walk, he couldn’t do things for himself,” said Jason Mazza, Wade’s father. Although Wade was unable to walk, his family kept him active and he loved the outdoors. The only problem, he couldn’t always join in on the fun.
“With having two other children, we wanted to go to parks and we did go to parks. However, Wade a lot of times would have to sit in his wheelchair and just watch our other two girls swing and run around because he wasn’t able to do that because the playgrounds were not handicapped accessible,” said Laura Mazza, Wade’s mother. But to make sure other kids get the chance to play, the family is pushing for an all accessible and inclusive playground in memory of Wade.
“If we can find this equipment and bring it here, we just want to make other children happy and we want to try to find equipment that Wade would have enjoyed,” said Mazza. And the name couldn’t be more fitting. “We’re wanting to name the playground Wade’s World of Wonder Playground,” said Mazza.
The family has been working with Ingrid Kanics of Kanics Inclusive Design Service LLC and the Kingwood Pool Committee to help bring the project to life. Plans include everything from a zip line, group swings, and a merry-go-round where all kids can join in. They are also in talks with the Preston County Parks and Recreation Commission to build the playground on nine acres granted to the Commission near the new Preston Memorial Hospital.
“There is quite a few pieces of equipment that we are looking at where they can be transferred over, but there’s quite a few pieces where they don’t even have to be and they can rely upon themselves to be able to wheel themselves up onto the pieces of equipment,” said Mazza. The project is expected to cost around [$600,000], so the family started a memorial fund to help raise proceeds.
If you would like to donate, you can also contact the family at [email protected]."
Design
Additional renderings of Wade's World of Wonder were released in 2019, revealing a Buckwheat Festival theme. The all inclusive playground will accommodate children of all ages and will have full accessibility for all children.
Wade's World of Wonder Golf Tournament
Each year, a golf tournament is organized to help raise funds for the project. For updates on the tournament, please check the Wade's World of Wonder Facebook.
Please view the article below written in 2016 by Jason Mazza, Wade's father, to gain more information on this fun yearly fundraiser!
"We would like to invite you to play in the the first annual fundraising golf tournament at Preston County Country Club on September 4th to support development of Wade’s World of Wonder Playground. My wife and I are currently in the process of building an all-inclusive playground in the honor of our son Wade who passed away five years ago at the age of four. My wife and I have been working with Landscape Structures, a professional design firm, to build a beautiful all-inclusive playground for our community which will reach out to individuals of all abilities. We are working in conjunction with Preston County Parks and Recreation to build the playground on a nine acre plot adjacent to Preston Memorial Hospital and close to Preston High School and Central Preston Middle School. This nine acre plot will also house a memorial park with walking trails, bathroom facilities, and picnic shelters. Community support has been growing since we first launched our website and Facebook page. We are still in the early stages of fundraising and have applied for several grants. Our initial goal is to raise $200,000 to fund phase 1 of the project which will be the central core of the playground (barn, silo, slides, ramps) as seen in the middle of the picture on the brochure. Current cost estimates for the playground are approximately $600,000 which includes all the freestanding pieces of equipment plus artificial grass surfacing.
Cost to play is $75 per individual or $300 per team for eighteen holes plus dinner following tournament. If you would like to sponsor the tournament, cost is $100 per hole which includes tee sponsorship sign, $500 includes four players plus corporate logo on cart, $1000 includes four players plus name on event banner, or $2500 co-sponsor includes cost of eight players (two teams) including name on event banner and corporate logo on cart. We will also have a prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners, 50/50 raffle, chance to win $10,000 for hole in one, among other prizes. All proceeds will be managed by Tucker Community Foundation, a 501c3 organization, to later fund the playground. "
Please view the article below written in 2016 by Jason Mazza, Wade's father, to gain more information on this fun yearly fundraiser!
"We would like to invite you to play in the the first annual fundraising golf tournament at Preston County Country Club on September 4th to support development of Wade’s World of Wonder Playground. My wife and I are currently in the process of building an all-inclusive playground in the honor of our son Wade who passed away five years ago at the age of four. My wife and I have been working with Landscape Structures, a professional design firm, to build a beautiful all-inclusive playground for our community which will reach out to individuals of all abilities. We are working in conjunction with Preston County Parks and Recreation to build the playground on a nine acre plot adjacent to Preston Memorial Hospital and close to Preston High School and Central Preston Middle School. This nine acre plot will also house a memorial park with walking trails, bathroom facilities, and picnic shelters. Community support has been growing since we first launched our website and Facebook page. We are still in the early stages of fundraising and have applied for several grants. Our initial goal is to raise $200,000 to fund phase 1 of the project which will be the central core of the playground (barn, silo, slides, ramps) as seen in the middle of the picture on the brochure. Current cost estimates for the playground are approximately $600,000 which includes all the freestanding pieces of equipment plus artificial grass surfacing.
Cost to play is $75 per individual or $300 per team for eighteen holes plus dinner following tournament. If you would like to sponsor the tournament, cost is $100 per hole which includes tee sponsorship sign, $500 includes four players plus corporate logo on cart, $1000 includes four players plus name on event banner, or $2500 co-sponsor includes cost of eight players (two teams) including name on event banner and corporate logo on cart. We will also have a prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners, 50/50 raffle, chance to win $10,000 for hole in one, among other prizes. All proceeds will be managed by Tucker Community Foundation, a 501c3 organization, to later fund the playground. "