Article by Jennifer Ganley,
I met Kylie Klosterman on a warm August evening at her home in Montverde. She greeted me with a big smile, and I could tell right away that she was a happy, much loved, and good-natured child. “If you are smiling, she is smiling,” said her mother, Sarah. At 8 years old, Kylie is in the 3rd grade. She loves swimming, boating, blowing bubbles with her big sister Reese, and riding on the trailer that her father, Garrett, pulls behind the family’s golf cart.
Kylie is also living with auditory neuropathy and is missing the XQ22 chromosome. She is deaf, but cochlear implants help her hear to an unknown degree. Kylie is one of six children in the genetic database to be missing the XQ22 chromosome. Her condition is so rare it doesn’t even have a name. Kylie is non-verbal and uses a wheelchair.
As a deaf child, she thrives of facial expressions and physical interaction. She can communicate using sign language. Not the “official” American Sign Language (ASL), but through a vocabulary of 11 “home signs”. She has signs for things like “mom”, “more”, “eat” and “water”. In addition, she has an aide working with her one-on-one each day at school on ASL and has made great progress. She also uses an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) device which is a tablet that helps someone with speech or language impairment to communicate. AACs help users communicate through a combination of words, sentences and images that the device then “says out loud”.
When I asked her parents what might surprise people to learn about Kylie, they told me that she is not afraid to try new things. Regardless of her disabilities, she wants to do whatever the family is doing. In fact, she is quite the adrenaline junkie! Kylie recently went on a white water rafting trip in Georgia, and even tried water skiing! Her big brother Landon, a 14-year old 9th grader at East Ridge High School, pops wheelies with her wheel chair and makes her laugh and laugh!
Let’s build a Legacy of Play for ALL children!
Clermont is well known for its rolling hills, pristine lakes, and beautiful parks. While residents enjoy numerous amenities, one thing the community lacks is inclusive playground equipment that would allow children like Kylie to enjoy playing alongside other children in a fun and social environment.
The Kiwanis Club of South Lake (KCOSL) is one of the area’s most active community service organizations, and we are dedicated to improving the lives of children. We want all children in South Lake County to have fun places to play where they can spend quality time with family and friends, laugh, explore, and simply be kids. For that reason, we are in the planning and fundraising stages for an inclusive playground in Clermont. Our vision is to create a playground where not only children, but people of all ages and abilities can come and enjoy a beautiful day together.
In addition to serving children with disabilities, an inclusive playground provides fun for everyone! The equipment allows children using wheelchairs, children with visual impairments, children with intellectual or neurological disabilities etc. to play alongside their typically developing peers. This park would also be a welcome resource for parents with disabilities, or aging caregivers who want to interact with the children in their care. Did you know that nearly 40% of grandparents provide child care for their grandchildren? How wonderful would it be for Clermont to have a playground where grandparents and grandchildren could play together!
In cooperation with the City of Clermont, KCOSL is raising funds to construct an inclusive playground. This playground will provide a sensory-rich environment that enables all users to develop physically, socially, and emotionally. At an inclusive playground, children (and adults!) of all abilities can interact with each other and do what all kids want to do: play.
We are the Champions!
Clermont is known as the “Choice of Champions”, not only because we are well known as a training ground for elite athletes, but because we believe all of our residents are champions: from the student who won the spelling bee, to the little boy who just learned to ride a bike, to the girl who learned her piano piece by heart… there is a champion in all of us! When I asked Kylie’s parents what made her a champion, her father, Garrett, said she is a champion because of her “desire to do”. She doesn’t want to be left on the sidelines.
With your support, the girl who uses a wheelchair and previously wasn’t able to play with her sister will feel like a champion when she feels the wind on her face and the thrill of movement, spinning on an inclusive merry-go-round. The quiet, anxious boy who needs some time away from all the activity will feel like a champion when he is can create his own composition on the playground’s musical equipment.
Through the Legacy of Play contest, Kiwanis International, in partnership with Landscape Structures, Inc., is offering one Kiwanis Club in the United States $25,000 of free playground equipment to be used in a playground project. KCOSL has coordinated with the City and completed the grant application, and now we need you!
Between September 18 and September 30, we need all hands on deck! Please visit https://www.kiwanis.org/clubs/member-resources/events/legacy-of-play/ki-va/contest/3/1#voting-app-public-ui, or click on the QR provided. Scroll down, and vote for the Kiwanis Club of South Lake Clermont Inclusive Park. You can vote once per day from each email address you use. 
Nationwide, the 10 playgrounds that receive the most votes will move on to the finals, and ultimately Landscape Structures, Inc. will choose the winner. Let’s make sure they hear South Lake County’s voice loud and clear!
While we are asking for your votes, with an initial price tag of $350,000, we are also seeking sponsorships and donations large and small. If you would like to become a sponsor of this deserving project, would like to make a donation, or would like more information on this project, please visit our website at kcosl.org, or email us at kiwanisadaptivepark@gmail.com.
The Kiwanis Club of South Lake meets 7:30 am. Thursdays at the Citrus Tower Conference Center, 2757 Citrus Tower Blvd. Come check us out! Visit: kcosl.org or: Kiwanis.org
