July 2026 | Vol. 12 Iss. 7
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West Valley City
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Softball history
Comunidad
Latinos que fortalecen Utah
Page 10-11
Hunter program reaches quarterfinals for first time Page 16
Nonprofit group and volunteers upgrade playground at Parkway Park By Darrell Kirby | d.kirby@mycityjournals.com New sensory-rich environments creates space for everyone to belong.
T
hanks to volunteer efforts and backing from a foundation, West Valley City’s Parkway Park has a colorful new playground. The Integrity Foundation, the nonprofit community-service arm of Integrity, a Dallasbased insurance and financial services company, organized the construction of a 6,900-square-foot playground in May to replace the park’s previous 40-year-old play area. The new equipment was installed in just one day by dozens of volunteers, many of them local employees of Integrity. “By investing in inclusive public spaces, participating organizations are reinforcing the idea that strong communities are built when businesses actively engage and give back,” said Mary Elyse Farah, president of the Integrity Foundation. The playground features sensory-rich elements and a safe, fully artificial turf surface that children of nearly all abilities can use. The equipment meets or exceeds standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act and can accommodate at least 200 kids.
“This project is about creating environments where everyone belongs,” Farah added. Parkway Park was chosen for the project based on Integrity Foundation’s guidelines of “prioritizing neighborhoods with active, vibrant populations that rely on public spaces to foster connection, joy and belonging.” The park’s high usage by people from nearby apartments, homes, schools and the largely industrial area around the park was also a factor in its selection. West Valley City Parks and Recreation agreed that Parkway Park was the right place and gave the go-ahead. The foundation connected with Big T Recreation in Draper, a supplier of playground equipment, to provide what was needed to modernize the play area of the park at 3405 W. Parkway Blvd. in the central part of the city. The contribution of Integrity Foundation fast-forwarded plans West Valley City already had to make improvements at Parkway Park in the future. “By pairing the city’s existing public funding for infrastructure improvements with Integrity’s financial contribution, the project timeline was Parkway Park in West Valley City has a new playground thanks to the nonprofit Integriaccelerated—bringing the vision for a revitalized ty Foundation and its parent company’s local employees and volunteers. (Darrell Kirby/ park to life much sooner,” the Integrity Founda- City Journals) tion said in a statement. l
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