For many disabled or handicapped children in Beaufort County, the carefree days of childhood are often lost amid the doctor’s appointments, physical strife and logistics of accessibility.

Brenda Willis, whose daughter Lizzy is disabled and uses a wheelchair, said she felt ostracized from the Washington community because of the lack of handicapped-accessible playground equipment. She had to drive to Greenville to ensure Lizzy’s safety while playing.

But soon she won’t have to make that drive.

Trillium Health Resources awarded a Play Together Construction Grant of $225,000 to the City of Washington’s Parks and Recreation Department Tuesday afternoon to help update the playground at Havens Gardens to make it more accessible for disabled or handicapped children.

A total of 11 counties, including Beaufort County, were awarded grant money, according to Amy Corbitt, project manager for Trillium.

“It’s going to bring some joy into our life,” Willis said. “It can’t come soon enough.”

Ben Morris, a Washington sophomore at the Northeast Regional School of Biotechnology and Agriscience, also heard of the need for handicapped-accessible play equipment from one of his mom’s former coworkers at Washington Montessori Public Charter School, and decided it would be a good problem to tackle for his Eagle Scout Service Project.

Morris is in the process of raising $4,000 for materials needed to build a handicapped-accessible swing, and after he heard about the Play Together grant, he decided to work with the City of Washington on the Havens Gardens project, the ultimate goal being to include the swing in the new playground area.

“These kids, they deserve a playground just for them,” he said. “I figured I would try to help those people.”

At the presentation of the check on Tuesday, Kristi Roberson, director of the Parks and Recreation Department, said this project means a lot to her both as a mother and as a recreation professional.

She said the possibility of applying for the grant and actually being awarded the money had seemed like a situation too good to be true, but about two weeks ago she heard the news for which she was hoping — the means to create a safe place for “inclusive recreation.”

“This is actually something everyone will be able to enjoy,” Roberson said. “It was a no-brainer.”

Willis said she is looking forward to having a safe playground right around the corner from her home, in her own community.

“It’s important for the community to show the disabled are just as valued as everyone else,” she said. “My daughter will have somewhere to play.”