Philanthropy In Danger: The Future of Shane’s Inspiration

There are more then 900,000 public charities in the United States, and most of these organizations are waiting anxiously to see how the incoming President elect Obama will affect them. At a time when our country is facing possibly the biggest financial crisis it has experienced charities are faced with cutting services in a time when people need the most help. David Knego, the executive director of the Curry Senior Center, who had an annual budget of $2 million dollars, which was cut 5%, said that “people in the non-profit sector are looking over their shoulder fearing what’s next.” Not since the 1973 Oil Embargo Act and the devastation of the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 has our economy shown sign of cracking as it is today. Shane’s Inspiration is a revolutionary program, whose goal is to bridge the gap between special needs children and their peers and like other charities in this time of need is going to have to struggle for funds and existence. At this time of crisis, with the loss of jobs and homes, it may not seem that the “tolerance” lesson is where the little money from donations should be going. I beg to differ; in time of crisis, when anxiety is high, tolerance for others is the best lesson we can teach our youth. Although this may seem like a very simple and basic message, Shane’s Inspiration is devoted to making sure it is not lost.

Shane’s Inspiration started in 1997 to honor Shane Alexander, who was born paralyzed and lived only two weeks. The organization plans and builds universally accessible playgrounds from Southern California all the way to Sri Lanka, for children with and without disabilities. The public playgrounds are created to accommodate children with leg braces and crutches, or those who are in wheelchairs, as well as those children who have no physical limitations. These facilities provide an even playing ground. Shane's Inspiration’s message of acceptance and tolerance for children with disabilities drives this foundation that has raised has helped raise millions of dollars to develop over forty universally accessible playgrounds and has affected 2,600 children each year through transportation, education and community outreach programs.

"It's the birthright of every child to simply play at the park," says Tiffany Harris, CEO and co-founder of Shane's Inspiration . This organization runs on the platform that the playground is a child’s classroom and the earliest of life lessons are taught here: “[Children] learn to negotiate while waiting in line for the slide. They learn to communicate by playing pirates on the bridge. Most importantly—they learn to trust themselves and others by interacting physically, emotionally and socially with their peers.” All children have to learn valuable lessons and Shane’s Inspiration is making sure no child is left out because of special needs or limitations they have. The universal playgrounds not only benefits children to get along it also has been proven in studies that integrated play betters motor skills, communication skills, cerebral functions, physical strength, coordination and balance, and social skills of special needs children.

Innovative and Effective, Shane’s Inspiration has influenced others to get involved. The Friedman Charitable Foundation is funding a play structure and other elements such as a garden, and with a $500,000 contribution to Shane’s Inspiration. They are now working in conjunction to build playgrounds all over the US with the help and example of Shane’s Inspiration. The national Rotary Club has sponsored this program in the past two months as well. Because of recognition from the Rotary Club International a community in Medford, Oregon is looking to do a smaller scale program based on the playground already built. The Hoover PTO has developed a plan to build the first Boundless Playground in Oregon. Proposition 3 on the California ballot also concerns the future of Shane’s Inspiration this November. This measure authorizes the sale of $980 million in bonds to upgrade and expand children's hospitals in California. Proposition 3 would cost about $2 billion over 30 years. Backers are the state's children's hospitals who have a strong connection with Shane’s Inspiration that recently put playgrounds in Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles. California voters authorized $750 million in bonds for this cause in 2004 but just under half of those bonds have yet to be sold. I believe that California voters can go either way seeing this as lost tax dollars or a real opportunity to help children in need but I myself truly believe this money is best allocated to the children.

Although Shane’s Inspiration is hoping for a bright future, there is real concern for all charities. At this point in time Shane’s Inspiration has not received any significant government budget cuts, but in the next few months this could change. The foundation is in danger because their service is free with support by the Los Angeles City Council and County Board of Supervisors, Laidlaw Transit Services, and private donors. In upstate New York, the Liverpool school district had to cut their classes for special needs children because they don't have the money to keep the program running. The non-profit organizations that depend solely on donations and government funding fear that philanthropy may become a lost art. The non-profit sector is in danger of losing it resources that finance their ability to help people, but there are still those groups and individuals like Shane’s Inspiration who are not going to let this get in their way of helping others.