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Callen's Castle

A Park for Children of All Abilities

By Lauren Clawsen, Callen's Castle July 29, 2014

Our son Callen is the true inspiration behind the vision of building a park for children of all abilities in New Braunfels.  In his short life, he showed us immeasurable determination, brought us faith, and was a hero to others.

Due to complications during my pregnancy stemming from Type I Diabetes, Callen suffered from brain damage that led to a rare diagnosis of Porencephaly.  Doctors told my husband and I that Callen would most likely not survive birth, and if he did, he would only live a few days at the most.  But, on December 28, 2012, we were blessed with the arrival of Callen Hugh Clawson.  He spent the first month of life in the NICU, but defied doctors’ prognosis and eventually got to go home with us.

 

With his diagnosis of Porencephaly, we were told that Callen would likely be unable to eat on his own, unable to hold his head up, likely to never walk or speak, and that there was a good chance he would be blind and/or deaf.  However, Callen chose to ignore almost everything the doctors told us.  In just nine and a half months, Callen was drinking from a bottle, beginning to hold his head up, tracking light and responding to sound.  He was defying the odds and instilling a sense of faith and hope in everyone who came in his path.

 

On October 17, 2013, Callen suffered a fatal seizure.  Even in his death, he continued to defy odds and do something that most people can’t say they have done.  He helped save the life of two other children.  His heart was donated and the valves and arteries were given to two babies who needed them.  We like to think that Callen lives on in the hearts of those children.

 

While the passing of our son was devastating, his life was so powerful.  He was a fighter and made us want to do something that could benefit all kids.  That’s where the vision of Callen’s Castle came from.  We want to build a place where kids of all abilities can go to swing, slide, and play.  Every child deserves a place where he/she can have fun!

 

Much like Morgan’s Wonderland or Play for All Abilities Park in Round Rock, TX the park will require special equipment to handle different abilities.  I envision the park to have a sand pit, sensory area, music area, swings and a merry-go-round for children in wheel chairs, a playground with ramps, and a texture area.  In the park I would like to see a down scaled size of our city with real street lights, walk signs, rail road crossings, a hospital, grocery store, library, police station, fire station, and other miscellaneous important businesses within New Braunfels.  I believe this will help all children learn the importance of safety on the streets.  Lastly, the park will be gated to prevent children with autism who run from getting lost.  Together, I see this being a place were children can play in a safe environment while learning that people are different but they still deserve to have fun.

 

To get this park established we need a lot of help from friends, family, and local businesses.  We are working up the chain of command for the city to get support and hope that the city will be able to designate a location for such a place.  Once we have found a location for the park, we will strive to generate enough funds to hire an engineer to help with the design of the park.  From that point, we should be able will continue fundraising to purchase the equipment and have it installed. 

 

We would like the city to maintain the park once it is complete.  However, we also understand that it is expensive to maintain a park of this measure.  We intend to set up one large fundraiser a year with the proceeds going to the city for the maintenance expenses of the park.    Working together with the city is important to the cause to make sure that it can remain a place for every child to enjoy!

To stay up to date on Callen's Castle and/or to become involved in making this dream a reality for New Braunfels families, join the group on Facebook