About 100 Tyrrell County residents, young and old, participated in the opening of the Play Together Accessible Playground beside Tyrrell Hall in Columbia on Aug. 18.

Dampness from an early-morning rain shower did not deter dozens of children from getting their exercise on swings, slides and obstacles in the inclusive playground.

Local officials spoke briefly under a nearby tent before the traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony, in which the small children were major players.

The playground was funded through one of Trillium Health Resource’s Play Together Accessible Playground grants that provided towns and counties with the ability to build fully accessible, all-inclusive playgrounds for individuals with special needs and physical disabilities.

“We are thrilled to have been able to provide these grants to 30 locations in eastern North Carolina,” said Dave Peterson, Central Region director for Trillium. “If our kids play together now, they’ll play together later.”

Others who spoke briefly were David Clegg, Tyrrell County manager; Leroy Spivey, chairman of the Tyrrell County Board of Commissioners; and Bob Steinburg of Edenton, who represents Tyrrell and five counties north of Albemarle Sound in the North Carolina House of Representatives.

Trillium Health Resources is a local governmental agency that manages mental health, substance use and intellectual/developmental disability services in a 24-county area in eastern North Carolina.

Trillium’s responsibility is to connect individuals and families to the help they need when they need it, the agency’s website states, as well as being responsible for managing state and federally funded services for people who receive Medicaid, are uninsured or cannot afford services.

Trillium does not provide direct care. Instead, it partners with agencies and licensed therapists in its provider network to offer services and support to people in need in or near their own communities.

For 24-hour access to care call 1-877-685-2415 toll free.