KENNER, La. (WVUE) – In the Kenner neighborhood off West Esplanade Boulevard, you’ll find a playground with ninth grader Anthony Fugarino’s name on it.

Two years ago, Anthony’s Missing Pieces Playground brought new life to Miguez Park.

“I thought, playground? Yes. But is it this big? Not really,” Fugarino said.

Jefferson Parish councilwoman Arita Bohannan, Anthony’s aunt, spearheaded the $600,000 effort.

“When I watched him play with other kids, rather than with other kids, I realized he had a chance to play, too,” Bohannan said. “That’s what started the mission to build the playground here.”

Now ground has been broken on the $1 million Anthony’s Missing Pieces Playground in Lafreniere Park, which will be the largest playground in the state.

Anthony’s family says doctors diagnosed him with autism at a young age.

“I never thought about disability,” Fugarino said. “It’s just me being different from everyone else.”

Rebecca Connick, an occupational therapist at Ripple Child Development, works with children on the autism spectrum. She says many children with diagnosed or sensory needs crave and love movement.

As Connick walks through the 8,000-square-foot playset, she notices the sensory-rich space. ‘Quiet bay’ catches your attention.

“They can kind of go in and it’s almost like a little hug, a hug on its own,” Connick said. “It looks like there’s soundproofing here. This could be a really good area for a reset.

When the sun comes out, he notices the patterned shadows falling on the ground.

“All kids, especially a lot of kids with autism, really find comfort in predictability and concepts like patterns, math, letters, numbers,” Connick explained.

The playground is a clear example of inclusivity, he says.

“To have this incorporated into a design is really special. And I’ve found that most of the kids I work with want to play, and they want to play with their peers,” Connick said. “Sometimes they just don’t know how.”

Bohannan says the playground isn’t just for people on the autism spectrum.

“1 in 13 people in Jefferson Parish have some type of disability: physical, social, anxiety-related,” the councilman said. “This will open the door to gaming for them.”

Bohannan first raised the money for the playground privately before joining the neighborhood council. Now he hopes to make Anthony’s Missing Pieces Playground the new model for area-wide renovations.

“This is how inclusivity moves people, it removes some of the challenges and barriers,” Bohannan said.

Ground has been broken on Lafreniere Park and is expected to be the largest in the state.

“If you have a kid who didn’t make the team, you know that feeling when your kid doesn’t make the team,” Bohannan said. “This changes the situation for them.”

The $1 million playground will open by next spring.

“It will be great. I think everyone will love it,” Fugarino said.

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