WESTFIELD, Ind. (WTHR) - A gym designed especially for kids with special challenges faces a serious challenge of its own. Carter's Play Place in Westfield has been open for less than a year, but will close Sunday unless a new partner or investor is found.
Two-year-old Roen Reames was having a great time Tuesday afternoon bouncing on the trampoline, going down a roller pad slide and playing with a friend at Carter’s Play Place. Roen does not have special needs, but his mother Rachel has brought him here regularly to play almost since the facility opened. She is saddened by the news of the impending closure.
“I think that's incredibly heartbreaking, the fact that it was created with such a mission and purpose for special needs and adaptive play,” said Rachel Reames, a stay at home mother. “This place is for all children. It's not just special needs."
“It's all inclusive,” said co-owner Adam Meents. “It's adaptive play for all kids. You don't have to worry about your disability. You don't have to worry about that stigma anymore."
The sensory-sensitive gym for adaptive play notified customers Monday that the facility will close unless a new partner is miraculously found this week.
“This gym is in my son's namesake,” said Meents. “I'm willing to fight for everything to the last minute any possible scenario that we can move this forward."
Meents opened Carter's Play Place last September, naming the gym after his nine-year-old severely autistic son, who is non-verbal.
“When he realizes that this might be down, might be gone for him for good, I don't know how that's going to affect him,” said Meents. “But I know he'll know. I know from a parent's perspective, he'll know. I don't ever want that.”
The zip line ride, multiple adaptive swings, roller slide, birthday parties and play dates are all in jeopardy. The parents’ autism support group meeting on Wednesday night could be the last, at least at this location.
But Meents is encouraged by the response he’s received on social media since posting the dire situation for Carter’s Play Place on the company website and Facebook page.
"I'm overwhelmed by the support that we're getting,” said Meents. “I know from the community and the quality of customers that we get in here and the families, they want to fight for this thing to be open too. We can do it together. We can all benefit from this thing."
Even Carter’s twin sister, Melanie, wants to help. She offered he parents all the money in her piggy bank to keep the gym going.
Ideally, Carter's Play Place wants to add an occupational therapy clinic as an equal partner with an investment of about $66,000. Meents believes the facility could thrive and expand by adding occupational therapy services. That’s been the goal since the gym opened. One planned partner pulled out in January. Another prospective partner fell apart last weekend, prompting the desperate letter that was emailed to customers announcing the Sunday deadline.
Meents says birthday parties already scheduled past this weekend will be fully refunded and so will recently purchased multi-visit punch passes.
