Quinn's Place playground opens outside Paradise Elementary

Quinn's Place, a playground in honour of 5-year-old Quinn Butt, opened Sunday outside Paradise Elementary.

Quinn, who died in April, would have started kindergarten at the school this fall.

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"I never dreamed that anything like this would happen, so I just wanted to say thank you. Enjoy it. Quinn would've loved it," Andrea Gosse, Quinn's mother, said.

"She loved going to the playground. We used to go at least three times a day, so I know she would be very happy with this — especially the pink and purple and palm trees for Florida. She loved to go to Florida, she loved to play. Thank you."

A bittersweet day

Gosse said the opening of Quinn's Place is bittersweet.

"It's absolutely amazing what Adam and every other volunteer has done, but at the same time it hurts because she should be here playing with everybody else," she said.

"But Adam has been amazing, making this happen has helped us so much."

Adam Stead has been heavily involved in organizing the fundraising efforts that have helped make Quinn's Place a reality. What originally started out as solely a playground, has grown to include two rooms at Iris Kirby House and a bursary.

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"It's all really overwhelming. She isn't here but other children and other people are going to get things from all of this. She's helping other children get comfortable and play at the Iris Kirby House, and I know that would mean a lot to her and it means a lot to us," Gosse said.

"And Quinn's bursary is fantastic. Quinn, in her own words, would say, with all of this is going on, that she's going to freak out because she is so excited."

A lasting legacy

"Quinn can't be here, but there is something here that we can remember her by forever and other kids can take joy in playing," she said.

"It helps so much to know that all these people, in this province and in this country have came together and have mourned her with us and have contributed to to helping something so beautiful be made for her."

Gosse said she was so excited for today to come so she could watch her nephews and Quinn's friends play in a playground honouring her daughter.

"Her friends and my nephew's have taken it really hard and they miss her and I think them coming here to play makes them feel a little bit closer to her in some way," she said.

The colour scheme of the playground reflects Quinn's style. Her two favouriate colours were pink and purple and the palm tree decorations signify her many trips to Florida.

"She loved it down there…Quinn would freak out over all of this today."