Kids & Family

Concord Playground Inspires Rose Parade Float

"Matteo's Dream" playground in Concord was one of the first in the Bay Area to feature structures that cater to children of all abilities.

It began as a dream in the mind of a child who wanted a place to play in Concord. 

The boy’s name was Matteo. And although he passed away in 2010, his memory continues to inspire people to this day.    

On Saturday, volunteers from Lions Club International will be cleaning the playground in Concord, California in which was one of the first playgrounds in the Bay Area where children who use wheelchairs to travel can play uninhibited by the environment. They will also perform maintenance to keep the castles, slides, and rubberized flooring safe for children.

Many organizations in Concord came together to help Matteo’s mother Liz Lamach turn his dream into a reality. The City of Concord provided the space, as well as $232,000, while the Lions Club raised more than $500,000. More than 1,500 volunteers built the park in two weeks.

Prior to that, volunteers worked for seven years to bring the project to fruition, according to public records. This May, the City of Concord announced that the Lions Club selected the playground as the inspiration for their float that will be in the 125th Annual Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena on January 1, 2014.  The theme of the parade is “Follow Your Dreams.”

To see the float's design, look at the photo attached to this post.



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