Hanover park a legacy a decade in the making

Abbey Roy
Newark Advocate
Work is done at Legacy Community Park  in Hanover in late July.

In the heart of the Village of Hanover, a legacy is in the making.

It began a decade ago, inspired by a baby who no longer calls Hanover home; a baby whose story has inspired countless hands and hearts in the 10 years he’s been gone.

His name was Wyatt 

He was born in December 2008 with a rare congenital heart defect known as hypoplastic left heart syndrome -- essentially, half a heart.

After various procedures and much time spent at Nationwide Children’s Hospital following his birth, Wyatt came home with his parents, Shane and Beth Adkins, for a brief period until he went in for open heart surgery at six months old.

The prognosis for the procedure was positive; the doctors and the Adkinses were optimistic.

But during the surgery Wyatt went into cardiac arrest; he never made it back home.

The couple returned to grieve without him, but they were not alone -- their community made sure of that.

Pulling together

And even in those early, difficult days, the seed of the idea that would become Legacy Community Park began to take root.

“We kind of felt this strong pulling to do something with all of what had happened to us,” said Beth, an English teacher at Licking Valley High School, where Shane is an assistant principal. “We were at that point--the lowest in our life--really embraced by this community. People reaching out and just loving on us.”

In recognition of the fact that the Licking Valley community is so family-centric, Beth and Shane decided a playground would be a fitting way to give back. That vision grew into one of a community park, accessible to children of all ages and abilities.

With that goal in mind, the Wyatt Adkins Heart Organization was formed and an initial major fundraiser held within two years of Wyatt’s death. The Adkinses had no official timeline or budget in mind; they just wanted to make it happen.

And so did a lot of others.

A beautiful blue-collar project

It seemed that every step along the way, someone was ready to lend a hand.

“It was one of those things that was literally a leap of faith; where it was just this recognition that people were being placed in our path for a very specific reason and we just needed to trust the entire process,” Beth said.

A capital campaign launched in late 2015 brought in more than $1 million for the playground, and at that point, the family became optimistic the park could be completed by the 10-year mark.

“We just believed if the funding was there it was meant to be, and people would listen to the vision. And they really supported what we were getting into,” Beth said.

But dollar signs haven’t been the only indicator of the project’s resonance with the community.

“Not only has it taken dollars, but people have donated time and their expertise and their work,” Beth said. “It’s a beautiful blue-collar project of many skilled hands at work giving of their time and their talents.”

From excavation to electric work, spreading of grass seed to erecting field goal posts to installing playground equipment, Legacy Park has truly been a community effort, Beth said.

In addition to the inclusive playground, which features plenty of climbing equipment as well as musical and sensory installments, the park consists of an all-purpose field for football, lacrosse or soccer; four baseball and softball diamonds and two sand volleyball courts.

In the spring, the Licking County Library will install a 24-hour library on the property for visitors to check out books.

A centerpiece of the playground will be a towering tree sculpture by local metal artist Jason Antol, whose work can be seen at Moe’s Original Bar B Que restaurant in downtown Newark.

In this 2011 file photo, Beth Adkins holds a picture of her son, Wyatt, who was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) and died in 2008.

Antol, too, donated his time to construct the sculpture after Beth sought him out on a whim.

As she and Shane worked to plan the park and contemplated the symbolism of a community coming together, Beth kept envisioning a tree.

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When a friend showed her Antol’s metalwork--three 12-foot steel trees--at Moe’s, she fell in love with the concept but knew the funds would be hard to come by. She decided to call him anyway.

“They told me their story and this 10-year journey they’ve been on,” Antol said. “I was just so taken by the fact that they’ve raised all this money local for the park, and it really is about the community, and I felt compelled.”

While the original plan had included leaves for the tree, Antol took it a step further.

Precious prints

With the help of two Licking Valley art teachers, Antol collected handprints from 968 Licking Valley elementary students--kindergarten through fifth grade--digitized them and had them laser cut from steel to become the leaves that will crown Legacy Park’s focal point.

He calls it “far and away the most rewarding project I’ve ever done.”

And it speaks further to the Adkinses’ motto: Many hands, one heart.

“We want people to feel like they can leave their legacy in this community and that we do it for the children. It’s a generational understanding of who we are as a community and how we love each other in times of need and reach out to one another,” Beth said.

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The park, located at 2018 W. High Street, will celebrate its official opening Oct. 21 with yard games, music, food trucks and, of course, plenty of playtimes.

As the day draws closer, Beth is confident Wyatt would be proud.

“I definitely think he’ll be smiling,” she said. “Whether or not he’s physically here, he’s here--and I hope he knows that he has taught us so much about life and we hope that as parents we live that out day to day.”

For Wyatt’s siblings--Carson, 9, and Audrey, 13-- the park will serve as a longstanding reminder of the brother who spent so little time on earth but left an immeasurable imprint upon his community.

“I think passing that on, that’s part of our legacy,” Beth said. “It’s just a legacy of love.”

IF YOU GO

What: Legacy Community Park Grand Opening & Dedication Ceremony

When: 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 21

Where: Legacy Community Park, 2018 W. High St., Newark (across from Family Dollar in Hanover)

FYI: A short program will take place at 5:30 p.m. for the unveiling of Jason Antol’s Legacy Tree sculpture. For more information, visit facebook.com/wyattadkinsheart.