The Tennessee Recreation and Parks Association has named the City of Knoxville's Ashley Nicole Dream Playground as the Best New Facility in 2005.

The Four Star Award is the highest honor the association bestows upon a recreational agency.

Opened in June 2005, the Ashley Nicole Dream Playground is Knoxville's first 100 percent accessible playground and is named in honor of Ashley Nicole Manes, who suffered injuries in a 1999 automobile accident that left her paralyzed. "The Ashley Nicole Dream Playground makes it possible for all children to learn and play together," said Mayor Bill Haslam. "The partnership among the City, Ashley's family and friends and the Disability Resource Center turned one girl's dream into a dream come true for children across East Tennessee."The playground is located at Caswell Park, 620 Winona St.
 
Consisting of three major play structures - a fort, a ship, and a playhouse - the playground's ramps, rubberized surfacing, and interactive stations set this facility apart from all others in Knoxville.Financial assistance and in-kind donations are needed for the second phase of the Ashley Nicole Dream Playground project, which will include accessible swings, a raceway area, shading structures, and a butterfly garden.

Donations of any amount may be mailed to:
Ashley Nicole's Dream Playground
Disability Resource Center
900 E. Hill Ave., Suite 120
Knoxville, Tenn. 37915

For more information on how to help, please see the organization's web site at www.dreamplayground.orgThe Tennessee Recreation and Parks Association serves more than 1,200 parks, recreation and leisure service professionals and citizen advocates.