Morgan's Wonderland was the inspiration for a local woman's ongoing campaign to create an all-inclusive, barrier-free, handicapped accessible playground in Hot Springs, and now her name joins others in a place of honor on the Wall of Fame in the heart of the San Antonio theme park.
Donya Catlett-Vise took her daughter, Ali, who suffered from Batten disease, to Morgan's in July 2014 courtesy of the Angel Wish Foundation. "She could choose to go anywhere she wanted and that was the one she chose," Catlett-Vise said, noting she had heard about it from another family with a disabled child.
"It was a park of inclusion and she got to do all these things she had never been able to do before. We had the time of our lives and really felt like we belonged."
She said she told her daughter as they later stood outside the park, "'Baby, we're going to bring one of these to Hot Springs for you.'" Little did they know that Ali would succumb to her illness only three months later.
Shortly after the three-year anniversary of her death, Catlett-Vise was among five honorees who were saluted at the eighth annual Free to Soar fundraiser gala on Sept. 30 at Morgan's Wonderland, the world's first theme park designed with special needs individuals in mind.
A highlight of the fundraiser gala was the 24th birthday celebration for Morgan Hartman, daughter of philanthropists Gordon and Maggie Hartman. Morgan's positive outlook despite cognitive and physical challenges inspired her parents to create Morgan's Wonderland and pursue other initiatives to benefit the special-needs community, a news release said.
"Each year we honor five incredibly wonderful individuals who have dedicated themselves to promoting inclusion," Gordon Hartman, CEO of The Gordon Hartman Family Foundation, said. "Once again, we received Wall of Fame nominations from coast to coast, and each one was carefully reviewed by a panel of judges from Morgan's Wonderland and the GHFF. It's very difficult to select the winners from so many deserving nominees, however we believe the values exhibited by this year's honorees clearly mirror inclusion and other principles on which Morgan's Wonderland was founded such as caring, determination and sacrifice."
The nomination for Catlett-Vise noted how she has "committed herself to building a living legacy for her daughter in the form of an accessible playground for special-needs children in Hot Springs. She didn't have any experience in starting a charitable foundation, yet by sheer determination, she established the Ali's Angels Foundation and recruited other passionate people to the cause. A site has been secured, and plans have been developed in pursuit of Catlett-Vise's ultimate goal -- construction of a fully-accessible, barrier-free playground called Ali's Wonderland."
"This was such an honor to receive this award," Catlett-Vise said. "I was the only one (nominated) outside San Antonio, the only Arkansan. That shows how supportive they are of this cause. They are a very giving community there. I think they consider me a part of their community. I'm trying to be their little sister."
She noted she and some of her board are planning a trip back to San Antonio the first week of November to discuss the plans for Ali's Wonderland "and get some tips and input on fundraising."
Catlett-Vise said the ceremony "was very surreal to me." She had just been discharged from the hospital herself shortly before the event. "I've been working on this for two years and basically my health suffered trying to run everything. I'm learning I can't do it all."
She said she has "great people behind the scenes" and a very supportive board working with her, but "we need more people engaged in the community. We need people who believe in making a difference to step up. This is not just for kids with disabilities. This is for everybody. For the schools, the teachers, the caregivers. Kids can have therapy and play and have fun. A place for the community to learn how to come together."
A partnership with the city of Hot Springs and the Hot Springs School District was formed and the 5-acre site for the park, located at the corner of Richard and Greenwood, was donated by the school district. Catlett-Vise has collaborated with architects, engineers, doctors, and therapists to design the $1 million park.
"We have just gotten to the fundraising stage and hope to start construction in the year 2018, and will largely depend on fundraising. Funding will decide when we break ground," she said.
"The city of Hot Springs Parks and Trails Department congratulates Donya Catlett as she is honored in San Antonio with a plaque in the Morgan's Wonderland Walk of Fame," Jean Wallace, Parks and Trails director, said in a news release.
"We are excited she and her Foundation will build a similar playground in Hot Springs named Ali's Wonderland. While all of Hot Springs' city parks have elements of accessibility, none of them are of universal design and completely barrier-free. Ali's Wonderland will be this one of a kind park and will be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of age or ability."
Stephanie Nehus, HSSD superintendent, said the Hot Springs School District was "happy to provide the land for the future site of Ali's Wonderland through a partnership with the city of Hot Springs and Ali's Angel Foundation. We look forward to seeing this community park develop. Congratulations to Donya Catlett for her continued advocacy."
Catlett-Vise noted she is available for speaking engagements and can bring renderings and plans for the park to show interested people. "We are ready to go. We just need the funds. This is a call to action to the community," she said.
Call Catlett-Vise at 501-617-5617 or email [email protected] for more information.
Local on 10/21/2017