By Aidan Mortensen | KOAL News
First conceived in 2021, the Helper Express All-Abilities Playground began with a simple vision: to ensure that all children, regardless of ability, can experience the joy of playing with friends on the playground.
Fast forward to today, since its grand opening in May of 2025, the playground has accomplished that goal and more.
Due to the extreme public benefit and ongoing nature of the project, Castle Country Radio is proud to name the Helper Express All-Abilities Playground as February’s Charity of the Month.
“Back in 2021, we started a nonprofit called Friends of the Helper Area. And our first project was to build a wheelchair accessible playground up in Helper,” shared Val Marietti, one of the driving forces behind the project.
“We finished it in May of 2025. We raised about $130,000 from local donors and from several grants that we received. A lot of those grants had a timeline. We either had to use the grant money or return it. So at that time, we made this tough decision that we were going to finish the playground and finance the rest,” she added. “So we financed about $170,000 to finish that playground. And we are hoping that we’re going to receive more donations to finish paying for that.”
The playground has also received funding from Igotpoop.com and Etzel Realty, with the former hosting a yearlong giveaway for a 2024 RZR 200 EFI side-by-side affectionately named ‘Tooter, with all proceeds going toward the playground.
However, as payments continue for the project, donations are still being sought. “We’re waiting for more grant money. We’re applying for more grants. We’re getting some trickle-down donations that are helping to cover those monthly costs,” expressed Marietti. “If you would like to help, please check out our Facebook page, the Helper Express Playground. There’s information on there about how you can donate, you know, that kind of thing. If you would like to give me a call, my cellphone is 435-820-8384.”
Marietti also shared plans for the playground once the initial build is paid off: “At some point, we would like to add some shade. At some point, we would like to add bathrooms. We want to fence it in and make it a little, you know, safer. But for right now, we need to pay for what we already have.”
The Helper Express Playground has sparked interest in other all-abilities playgrounds across the Castle Country. In Castle Dale, Mayor Danny Van Wagoner has championed the cause to build an all-inclusive playground. The project has garnered support from the Emery County Commission, which donated the land for the playground.
“I’ve always wanted to build an equal access playground, that no matter what your mobility is, if you have a vision issue, if you have a child that has autism, if you’re an elderly person raising your grandkids, that’s a big thing people don’t understand,” explained Marietti. “If you go somewhere that has wood chips, it’s easy to fall. You can’t push a stroller. You can’t push a wheelchair. So, you know, a lot of our expense was that ground cover.”
Closing our conversation, Marietti shared,” If you’ve not checked out the playground, go look at it. It is very, very impressive. I love the place. Every time I drive by, there’s kids there. So give me a call if you’d like to help, or if you have questions, give me a call.”
For more information on the Helper Express Playground, you can visit the playground’s Facebook page. Donations can be made via Venmo or PayPal to the username FriendsofHelper.