Ongoing fundraising for Poplar Hill Wheelchair Accessible Swing

Olivia McIntosh loves to swing.

Unfortunately, in a wheelchair with cerebral palsy (CP) and global delay, the 17-year-old from Ilderton, Ont. it needs at least two people to help lift and set it down.

“Olivia is 17 years old, but in her mind she’s about two years old,” explained Ashley McIntosh, Olivia’s mother. “Once they turn 12, people usually forget about them because they don’t look like kids anymore, but our little ones still want to play.”

After hearing similar stories, the Poplar Hill and District Lions Club decided to do something about it.

They are raising funds for a wheelchair accessible swing.

“I was walking in the park here (Poplar Hill) one time, and there was a grandfather and grandmother trying to pick up their grandson and they were struggling,” said Rick Castle, a member of the local Lions Club. “I said, ‘There’s got to be a different way or there’s a better way.’ That’s when we decided to look into the wheelchair accessible swing.”

Olivia McIntosh, 17, of Ilderton, Ont. she loves to swing but needs help from her wheelchair in a regular swing. (Brent Lale/CTV News London)

In just over a year, they’ve raised thousands of dollars toward their fundraising goal, but are looking for community members, businesses and sponsors to get involved.

“Just with bottles and cans, we’re at $15,000,” Castle said. “It’s quite expensive, like over $80,000. We have a GoFundMe right now and we’re trying to get this going.”

It would mean the world to people like Katherine Doxtator.

“Usually when we come to events, we sit and watch everyone else play on the swings or the equipment,” said Leslie-Anne Steeper-Doxtator. “For us to put her in one of the swings here, we’d have to lift her inside. And that means we have to have a number of people, like at least two to three. And that’s not always possible.”

Duncan McIntosh lifts his daughter Olivia, 17, in a swing at the park in Poplar Hill, Ont. on May 11, 2024. She loves to swing, but with cerebral palsy and a global delay, she can’t go in by herself. (Brent Lale/CTV News London)

According to Castle, there are only three wheelchair accessible swings in Southwestern Ontario. These are in Barrie and Toronto, with the closest to the London area in Brantford.

“This would be life-changing,” Ashley said. “Boys can come in wheelchairs and still feel the freedom of the swing. But older kids and adults will be able to experience it too. They look like adults, but they are still little children in their brains. So we have to give them that kind of push and play so they can continue to grow every day.”

Castle believes this swing could also be a revenue generator.

“This park is rented out for family gatherings and if they knew there was a wheelchair swing here, they would come from all over, including Windsor and Sarnia,” he said.

The Poplar Hill and District Lions Club is raising funds for a wheelchair accessible swing like this one. It allows people to lift their wheelchair into place. (Source: Landscape structures)