A Place to Play

There’s a new place for kids to play in Kennewick, Washington, called Kason’s Korner. It’s named for Kason Creed. He’s the boy who inspired it.

TEAM EFFORT Kason and his parents (Andrea, at left, and Miles, in hat) pose for a group shot on November 7, 2023, with the people who made Kason’s Korner a reality. Nick Farline is at far right.

Nine-year-old Kason has cerebral palsy. The condition affects his ability to walk, so he uses a wheelchair. After a doctor appointment in a town more than a hundred miles from his home, he and his grandmother stopped at a playground there. Kason was excited. The playground had swings he could easily use. “I loved it,” he told TIME for Kids.

There wasn’t a playground with the same kind of equipment closer to Kason’s home. He imagined a park in his community where all kids could play together. So he started a campaign called Kason’s Kause.

Using His Voice

In 2022, Kason and his grandmother started going to city council meetings. Kason spoke to local leaders. He told them about the need for inclusive playgrounds. “I was nervous at my first meeting. Then I got better at the second one. By the third one, I was absolutely fine,” Kason says. His words flowed naturally. No note cards were required.

HE INSPIRES Kason speaks from his heart during the opening-day event at Kason’s Korner.

Kason impressed Nick Farline. Farline works for Kennewick’s parks and recreation department. He heard Kason speak at a Kennewick City Council meeting. “He’s got something here,” Farline remembers thinking. “We need to listen and take it seriously.”

After that, Farline held meetings to study the city’s playgrounds. These included the Playground of Dreams, in Columbia Park. Kason was invited to attend. He shared ideas on how to improve the playground. “It was super eye-opening,” Farline says. When it came time to name the park’s new play area, Farline adds, the solution was obvious: “We should dedicate this to Kason.”

Play for All

Kason’s Korner opened at the Playground of Dreams on November 7. At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Kason did the honors. (“These are gigantic scissors!” he remembers thinking.) The playground features a We-Go-Round, a merry-go-round that can fit wheelchairs. There’s also a We-saw, which is an accessible see-saw. And there’s a sensory play center that kids can explore through touch and sound.

JOYRIDE Kason and friends enjoy a ride on the We-saw at Kason’s Korner on opening day.

Plus, the playground’s surface is covered with a material called Playground Grass instead of bark chips. “Most kids can’t move their wheelchairs through bark chips,” Kason says.

If there’s something you’d like to improve in your community, Kason has some advice: “If you want to do it that badly, you need to just go for it.”

Inspired?

Next month, we’ll feature kids who are boosting literacy. Could you be one of them? Click here for ideas on how you can make reading and education more accessible for all in your community.