LEO’s Haven to Open Early 2020

A smile says it all! A few weeks ago, Oliver Potts had a chance to visit LEO’s Haven.   Due to your support and the support of our wonderful Santa Cruz County community, LEO’s Haven and Chanticleer County Park is slated to open early 2020.

Please stay tuned for opening day news coming from County Park Friends!

As the Santa Cruz Playground Project Playground Project volunteers prepare to successfully ride off into the sunset, Friends is stepping up to the plate to continue the vision of inclusion for our community.

Tricia Potts will join County Park Friends as Program Director. Tricia spent six years heading up the effort to create a groundbreaking public-private partnership with the County of Santa Cruz to build LEO’s Haven at Chanticleer County Park, the county’s first fully inclusive playground for children of all abilities.

“Tricia brings incredible drive, clarity and experience to our work. Her personal dream led to the LEO’s Haven Inclusive Playground, and we are humbled and excited to continue collaborating for our community.” said Mariah Roberts, Executive Director of County Park Friends.

As one of Potts’ first actions, she has launched the pilot program of “Together, We Are Able,” a social inclusion education program designed to bring awareness and understanding to children of all abilities, This groundbreaking program, which has already reached 45,000 students in the LA area through Friends’ non-profit partner, Inclusion Matters by Shane’s Inspiration, is a vital part of breaking down bias and bullying towards children with disabilities while teaching all children needed social skills to interact and build connections with each other.

The program will consist of in-class conversations and activities partnered with a field trip to LEO’s Haven where children of all abilities will be partnered together and given the opportunity to positively connect through the vehicle of play.

Potts and her team have already conducted an initial inclusion session with students at Valencia Elementary as well as held a teacher training in-service which included staff from the Live Oak School District, Santa Cruz Health Centers, County Office of Education and County Park Department Recreation Department.

Grant partners for the “Together, We Are Able” pilot program include the Monterey Peninsula Foundation, host of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am; the Christopher and Dana Reeves Foundation; the Reiter Family Foundation; Inclusion Matters by Shane’s Inspiration; and Kaiser Permanente.

County Park Friends is currently raising additional funding for “Together, We Are Able.”  Anyone who wishes to make an end of year tax-deductible donation to support this vital program please contact Tricia Potts at tricia.potts@countyparkfriends.org.

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For more info: www.countyparkfriends.org