ADA compliant swing added to Lakewood Ranch Park

It was a fairly plain piece of hard plastic, but a very important, and expensive, one.

Just before an American Disabilities Act compliant swing was added to the Lakewood Ranch Park playground March 14, Manatee County's Shane Hebert was talking about the importance of adding such playground equipment to all the county's parks.

Even so, he said, it was going to take a huge effort.

"We have years of work ahead of us," Hebert said about getting ADA compliant equipment at all the county's parks. "And it is expensive. Anything ADA, you can tack on another zero (to purchase)."

Indeed, the swing, which was purchased and dedicated by the Making a Difference club of Del Webb at Lakewood Ranch, was expensive. It certainly looked like something that might cost a couple of hundred dollars at most, but the Making a Difference club paid $1,084.70.

Lucille Messina, the president of the Making a Difference Club, said she approached Manatee County two years ago about dedicating an ADA swing for a county park. However, personnel changes in county administration had backed up the process. The swing also had to be checked out and approved for safety by a county employee who specializes in ADA compliant playground equipment.

The club had about 20 members turn out for the dedication, and Hebert came to represent the county. The swing had a metal plate attached to the back that read:

Jacklyn's Journey
Donated by Del Webb Lakewood Ranch
Making a Difference Club
2025

Photo by Jay Heater

The Jacklyn mentioned was Jacklyn Messina, the daughter of Lucille and Karl Messina, who died of degenerative neurological disease on Oct. 14, 1995 at the age of 11. Lucille and Karl had raised money for an ADA compliant swing in their hometown of Garden City South, Long Island, New York. The day it was installed, Jacklyn went into the hospital and was never able to use it before her death.

When Lucille Messina started the Making a Difference Club in 2023, she organized a Bingo and bake sale to raise money to buy an ADA compliant swing for Urfer Family Park in Sarasota. the club raised $1,785, and therefore had enough money to buy a second swing. That's when Messina contacted Manatee County.

"As the club’s president, I wanted to start off our first club event with a small goal, and to me, the ADA swing seat was perfect," Messina said.

Messina said early in her daughter's life, she learned it was impossible to hold her on a thin rubber swing seat that was the norm in most parks. 

"Every child should be able to feel the breeze on their face on a swing in the park," Messina said. "Everyone here remembers the first time they did that."

Messina published a book, "Waiting to Hear 'Momma, A Mother's Memoir,'" in 2019. The book talked of the joys and challenges of her daughter's life.

She is hoping that the county continues to add ADA compliant playground equipment to its parks so all children can find enjoyment in a park regardless of their abilities.

Photo by Jay Heater

Making a Difference Club members are dedicated to fundraising and volunteering for special needs children and organizations supporting those with disabilities. 

Messina always will remember seeing other children enjoying park equipment, while for her daughter, there was "nothing."

She said the swing at Lakewood Ranch Park, "It is not enough. They need to step it up. Parks should have more than this."

Among the Making a Difference board members at the ceremony was Judy Starr.

"I have been very impressed with the (Making a Difference) club's mission," Starr said. "And people in Del Webb are so generous. They will walk up to one of us (club members) and say, 'Here's $100.'"

Board member Maryanne Lartz has been involved since the club was formed.

"We want to be able to give everyone the ability to everything," Lartz said. "This swing is all because of Lucille, and it fulfills a wish, an obligation. My children were healthy ... they can do anything."

It should be noted that Manatee County constructed an ADA-accessible playground at Tom Bennett Park in Bradenton in 2024. Bradenton Kiwanis presented $784,000 to the county toward construction costs.

County staff members worked with Kiwanis on the design and construction to be consistent with the Kiwanis Club's vision on its legacy project.

Features for the playground included ramp accessibility onto the play structures, slides, climbing nets, a climbing wall, built-in sensory and cognitive activities, a wheelchair-accessible merry-go-round, zip lines with accessibility seats, shade covers and a synthetic turf ground.