Jonnie and Friends Reach For the Stars and Universal Universe’s Playground Renovation

Hello everyone! We hope the weekend was super, especially with your Super Hero Mamas!

A neighborhood park is a great place to play and enjoy time outside. They're even more fun when you play with friends! In our first book, The Adventures of SuperCaptainBraveMan, Book 1: A Day at the Park, SuperCaptainBraveMan helped a young girl in a wheelchair named Emily make new friends at her favorite park.

Someone who knows just how fantastic neighborhood parks are is Marc Laver. His son, Jonnie, was a young boy who enjoyed playing at local parks. Jonnie utilized a wheelchair to get around, and Marc and his wife Linda made it their mission to add inclusive play features to existing parks. In 2005, the City of Sacramento asked Jonnie and his family to cut the ribbon on Southside Park's new Universal Universe Playground, one of the first all-access playgrounds in Northern California. Following Jonnie's passing in 2019, Marc and his family created an amazing initiative called Jonnie and Friends Reach for the Stars. The fundraising effort was created to renovate Universal Universe's Playground, update its play equipment, and fix general wear and tear due to years of play.

We were delighted to hear about Marc and Jonnie's story and were honored to be invited to participate in this epic event! SuperCaptainBraveMan and the team donated books, shirts, and stickers to their raffle event held on Saturday, May 7th! We were so happy to receive amazing photos of the event.

Thank you, Marc, and everyone at Jonnie and Friends Reach for the Stars! The beautiful initiative you have begun creates a space for kids to assemble, play, and make new friends! The need for all-access playgrounds for kids of all abilities is so important.