Members of the Dawsonville Civitan Club, the Dawson County Chamber of Commerce and the Dawson County Schools Exceptional Children program gathered together last Tuesday to celebrate a milestone for inclusiveness in the community.

Under the warm August sun, friendly faces assembled at Veterans Memorial Park Aug. 14 for a special ribbon cutting dedication of a new inclusive playground.

“We’re just so excited that we were able to do this,” said Civitan President Tiffany Muilenburg. “It means so much to us and to our community.”

Through the fundraising efforts of the Civitan Club and the community, four pieces of inclusive playground equipment worth $15,000 was installed at the park across from the gymnasium.

Included is a “cozy cocoon” where children with autism and sensory processing disorders can remove themselves from situations of sensory overload while still being accessible to their parents or caretakers, as well as swing seats that accommodate differently abled children. 

“One of the goals of not only our chamber but our community is to be as inclusive as possible so this is a great day to celebrate with everyone,” said Chamber President Christie Moore.  “Just to be here and be able to see our friends enjoying this playground equipment is just a beautiful thing.”

A sign was placed in the park in honor of longtime Civitan member Nancy Eason, Dawsonville Mayor Mike Eason’s late wife.

“I want to thank God for putting Nancy in my life. She’s meant so much to me and my family and to see that on the bottom of that sign over there it’s a blessing to me,” Eason said. “I know how her heart was and I know what her faith was and I know what her desires were. Her desires were to help people not just people with developmental disabilities but everybody.”

Nancy Eason had been involved with the Cumming Civitan chapter since 2005 and with the Dawsonville chapter since its inception in 2014.

“I think all of us need to remember what Nancy mentioned to me...to be there for other people, to help people, to help people that need our help, and even those that don’t need our help, reach out and touch somebody,” Eason said.

Veterans Memorial Park is located at 186 Recreation Road in Dawsonville.