Everyone wants to feel welcome and like they belong wherever they are. Unfortunately, many people around the world feel excluded due to external circumstances or personal characteristics. Morgan Hartman was in this position.
Gordon Hartman, Morgan’s father, wanted to make his daughter feel more accepted. When Gordon built his daughter her very own amusement park, he proved that a father’s love knows no bounds. A devoted father will never forget the day when he finally saw his daughter feel completely at home for the first time.
Gordon searched all over the country and even abroad for an amusement park that seemed to welcome individuals in all walks of life, including those with disabilities. Morgan struggled to make friends and fit in at a local public swimming facility.
The following were just a few of Gordon’s main sources of inspiration when he decided to build the amusement park of her dreams for his then-12-year-old daughter. Gordon started working on the project in 2006, and he finished it in April 2010.
Morgan’s Wonderland in San Antonio, Texas, is now a safe and enjoyable destination for children and adults alike. It’s an amusement park where anyone can have a good time and meet new people. Read on to find out more about this remarkable story.
According to the official Morgan’s Wonderland website, Gordon was inspired to create the amusement park after watching how other children responded to his autistic daughter. Morgan was 12 years old at the time and had difficulty relating to others. Gordon wished for his daughter to make friends with people her age. Sadly, the other kids at the pool where they visited did not know how to interact with Morgan. Morgan chose not to take part in the excitement at the pool, preferring to watch.
Morgan’s loving father turned his grief into a new goal: to create a space where Morgan could interact with others without feeling awkward or alienated. As there was none, the determined man set out to make one for himself.
Gordon held multiple meetings to collect money and consult with architects, engineers, doctors, and therapists, according to PEOPLE. The park’s design was funded with $35 million, and construction began in 2007. In April 2010, the park, which is fully accessible, opened to the public. Morgan’s Inspiration Island is a water park within the amusement park.
Morgan’s Wonderland is currently a wonderful place where children of all abilities can congregate and feel accepted and loved. Gordon told Inside Edition, “It’s amazing to see people who don’t get to experience the same things we do, like being able to ride a carousel,” he said.
“Small things can make a big difference,” he said.
Source: spotlightstories.co
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