A few months ago, Eat Play Learn’s Molly Cervini and Haddon Culinary’s Lindsey Ferguson approached the Borough with an innovative idea to build inclusivity for non-verbal kids and non-native English speakers into Knight Park.
Their proposal, a “communication board,” provides an additional communication method through simple pictures for common words. Children can point to the words as a way to communicate their feelings and needs, even building sentences.
Cervini, a speech pathologist, explains that providing an accessible solution increases non-verbal children’s confidence and creates a safer play space for all.
To bring their idea to life, Cervini and Ferguson put a call out to friends and neighbors to fundraise for the board and received overwhelming support. Due to the generosity of the Collingswood community, enough funds were raised to commission not one, but two boards! The first was unveiled August 26 in Knight Park and was an instant success and asset for the community. Installation of the remaining board at a Collingswood elementary school will take place in the near future.
Over the years, Collingswood has been driven by those who simply ask, “how can we help?” When residents take an active role in the betterment of the Borough great things can happen. The Borough thanks Molly, Lindsey and all who donated for your work to create a better Collingswood for all!