Nicolle McCoy's daughter, Hope, was diagnosed with Xia-Gibbs syndrome at a young age. Xia-Gibbs is a neurological disorder that caused some impairment in her motor skills.
Still, her family loved taking her to the park, and her mom always thought it would be nice to have a play space adapted to meet Hope's needs.
The youngest of four children, Hope died a week after starting kindergarten in August 2019, and in her memory, McCoy started a nonprofit that is working on creating an inclusive playground at Riverview Park, which is close to the family's North Chattanooga neighborhood. It will be a space where children of all abilities can play together.
Hope Included has since raised about $1 million for a redeveloped play space at Riverview Park, and on Dec. 19, the Chattanooga City Council approved an agreement with McCoy's organization that will allow it to install the new equipment. The organization expects to break ground in March and complete work by the end of June.
"I hope this is a jumping point," McCoy said in a phone interview. "I want to do more playgrounds. I want to help educate people."
A $500,000 grant from the Tennessee Department of Intellectual and Development Disabilities will cover half of the cost of the project, which will be matched with another $500,000 of local donations and commitments, McCoy said. The city will provide ongoing maintenance once the project is complete.
The playground will be designed for children using wheelchairs and those with balance issues, McCoy said. Ramps will lead up to the slide, and the merry-go-round will be set into the ground so children can easily traverse it if they have mobility issues. It will feature soothing music and supportive swings. The bathrooms will have full-size changing tables.
Scott Martin, the director of the city's parks and recreation department, said in a phone call the playground will be designed to be fully accessible, regardless of whether someone has physical or cognitive limitations. The city already has an inclusive playground at Warner Park and another to be built at Heritage Park is in the fundraising phase.
The city's new parks and outdoors plan, a long-term vision the city unveiled in June to boost recreational space, recommends the installation of inclusive playgrounds at select locations in Chattanooga, he said.
McCoy always wanted Hope to be part of a community.
"We just knew with Hope we were going to live life with her even with her differences or challenges," McCoy said. "My family and I just decided we were going to get out and live life and be part of a community and expose her to everything that we did and make her a part of all of it."
The family didn't realize the effect that had on the community until people came through the receiving line at Hope's funeral. Hope had a positive influence on people in her life, teaching other children the importance of being inclusive, her mom said.
"We had the gift of Hope to teach us all these things, and we wanted to continue it in the community," McCoy said.
Contact David Floyd at dfloyd@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249.