Southwest AMBUCS showcases Kylie Hiner Memorial Park, new park for all abilities
CANYON - Southwest AMBUCS held a grand opening ceremony for special guests and family at the new Kylie Hiner Memorial Park in Canyon. The newly built park is billed as “A Place Where Family Fun Has No Limits” with designs for activities for children of all abilities.
Gene Wells, president of Southwest AMBUCS, spoke about the mission of AMBUCS with this park.
"We are celebrating the announcement of the new Kylie Hiner Memorial Playground, which has been a long time coming,” Wells said at the event. “We worked with the city of Canyon, who provided land and resources to try to pull this off. The specially constructed park allows children with disabilities and different limitations to get out there, with siblings, friends and family ... and enjoy playing along with all the other children.”
Wells said the initial goal was to raise $1.2 million for the project, but with money raised from various entities for the project, more than $2 million was raised to bring the park to fruition.
"Our primary mission is to help provide mobility to those with certain limitations that regularly would not be able to join in with everyone else,” Wells said.
He said that another big part of their mission is to help provide individuals with custom-built trikes to provide a safe way to get out there and ride with others. These special vehicles can be peddled with hands or through other manners and have been developed with the guidance of therapists to utilize needed muscles for movement.
The park is named for Kylie Hiner, who passed away from a seizure disorder in 2017. Hiner, who had autism, was a beloved member of the Canyon community. In 2017, the city of Canyon approached the Hiner family about naming a park after her.
Brian Noel, an AMBUCS member, spoke about Kylie Hiner's legacy and the reasoning for naming a park after her.
“She knew everybody. Everybody knew her. So, she was just a great individual that, although she had some limitations, she did not know it,” Noel said. “And she loved everybody. It was just somebody who made everybody smile, and that’s kind of what this is all about. It is a place with no limits, just like Kylie. There were no limits to how she loved everybody and how much she did for people. She was a special person.”
Mary Hiner, Kylie’s mom, spoke about seeing the park named after her daughter for the first time.
“Today is the best day. We had begun this journey a while back, and this is the fruit of everyone’s labor,” Hiner said. “She is running around here playing; she loved the parks, from the swings to the music corner. Hearing the chimes melts my heart. I will be here every day after work and on the weekends to watch the children play and share more about Kylie.”
Hiner said that her daughter would be so thrilled to see a park set up like this. She loved to see others smile and to make others happy.
"She would be so happy and full of joy to see a park that is made for all to access,” Hiner said. “There are no words to describe my feelings, only tears seeing kids being able to enjoy this park. My heart is overflowing with love, blessings and joy. It brightens my day seeing these kids being able to access this park and do it easily, and everybody can do it.”
Christian Cisneros Jr., 2 years old, was one of two recipients to receive an AMtryke. His father, Christian Cisneros, spoke about receiving the donated trike.
“We feel good because, with this, it will be so much better for him,” Christian Cisneros said. “We are so glad for all AMBUCS has done for him.”
Another recipient of the trike, Jody Morris, spoke about what receiving the new trike meant to him.
"It is so awesome to receive this. Since I got injured, I did not think I would be ever riding a bike again, and thanks to AMBUCS and my therapist, I can again,” Morris said.
The park will be open to the public sometime in November, according to AMBUCS.
The City of Canyon announced Friday that the Kylie Hiner Memorial Playground at Conner Park will have a public grand opening and dedication on Saturday, Nov. 4 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The grand opening will include a ribbon cutting, speakers, and a moment of silence in honor of Kylie’s life.
To find out more about Southwest AMBUCS or to donate, go to https://www.southwestambucs.org/ .
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: AMBUCS unveils Kylie Hiner Memorial Park in Canyon
