Correspondent photos / Sean Barron ... ShiYu Debow, 12, of Poland, who has cerebral palsy, accompanies her father, Dan Debow, on a recently installed We-Go swing at The Walnut Grove playground in Canfield after Saturday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the all-inclusive swing.

CANFIELD – In the 1930s and 1940s, famous jazz clarinetist Benny Goodman was known as the “King of Swing,” and decades later ShiYu Debow felt like the queen of a swing.

“It was really fun; it was an easy process of pushing and pulling,” ShiYu, 12, a Poland Middle School sixth-grader, said.

ShiYu, who has cerebral palsy, was not referring to an old style of jazz, or a traditional swing, however, the likes of which are found on most playgrounds. Perhaps the main part of this one, called a We-Go swing, was its high level of inclusivity.

The elaborate piece of rust-free, powdered-steel equipment also was the centerpiece for a special ribbon-cutting ceremony Saturday morning at The Walnut Grove playground, 8800 Columbiana-Canfield Road.

Also happy with the setup was ShiYu’s father, Dan Debow, who adopted his daughter when she was 2.

“It’s pretty cool, and it’s nice that we can both use it,” Debow said, adding that The Walnut Grove playground is one of ShiYu’s favorites.

The swing, estimated at $100,000 and said to be the first of its kind in the Mahoning Valley, features a small ramp on artificial turf leading to it for those who use wheelchairs, along with a set of handlebars on each side for safety. The cost also included necessary grading, surfacing and a foundation, Karen Conkey, The Walnut Grove’s board president, noted.

“The person can stay in the wheelchair, and peers, parents and others can join them,” Conkey said, adding that no other playground within 60 miles of Canfield has such a specialized piece of equipment.

Dan Procopio, board vice president, said the swing is for children and adults with all abilities and not restricted only for those in wheelchairs. He also thanked the J. Ford Crandall Memorial Foundation for providing much of the funding and support for the playground addition.

In addition, Saturday’s gathering included an annual cleanup day around the playground’s perimeter and facility upkeep to kick off the 2024 season. The work entailed light landscaping, weeding and sprucing up the parking lot and gardens near the playground.

Among those happy to pitch in was Marie Izzo-Cartwright, a Walnut Grove board member, who was removing from a large garden yellowed tendrils that were left from the winter.

Another redeeming aspect of the playground is its ability to bring children and adults together in a festive manner while allowing them to sideline technological devices for a while.

“It’s so heartwarming to see kids helping and playing with each other and it’s also good for adults,” Izzo-Cartwright, who’s also a Canfield Township trustee, said. “You don’t see kids buried in their iPhones and iPads. It’s a great thing to watch them playing.”

Twin 15-year-old siblings Saarim and Zayyan Bajwa also didn’t hesitate to get their hands a bit dirty via bagging dead plant remains from the garden.

Both of them are part of Canfield High School’s Interact Club, which seeks to raise money and participate in a variety of community projects. In addition to wanting to be part of a positive cause, both were working to fulfill club requirements of performing at least 20 hours of community service per school year.

The specialized swing, which was installed a few months ago, also is an integral part of the $1.4 million playground, the main portion of which was finished in 2019.

Procopio and several other Walnut Grove board members thanked the J. Crandall Ford Memorial Foundation expressed gratitude toward Swing, Wine & Dine, along with other organizations, fundraisers, grants and events that made the swing project possible.

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