Working to Make a Dream Come True

Magical Bridge, a project of Friends of the Palo Alto Parks, partnered with Sereno Group Real Estate’s Palo Alto office Wednesday to kick off its $3.8 million dollar fundraising campaign to build the nation’s most innovative, inclusive playground designed specifically for the disabled.

Sereno Group Palo Alto selected the Magical Bridge project, over a number of worthy non-profit projects, for its "1% for Good Program," where 1% of total gross commissions from their High Street, Palo Alto office are donated during the fourth quarter of this year.

"Sereno has a remarkable commitment to really embrace the communities in which they work and we are so very grateful that they have selected our cause to promote," said Olenka Villarreal, founding member of Friends of the Magical Bridge. "With so many realtor options in Palo Alto, Sereno has found a beautiful way to differentiate itself."

Sereno Group has been committed to supporting and making a difference in their local communities since their inception in 2006.

"Children deprived of play opportunities fail to develop to their full potential," Sereno Group founder Chris Trapani said. "I believe this organization will make a difference in this community that will enrich the lives of children and adults with disabilities for years to come”.

This is not the first time a community outreach effort has approached Magical Bridge. The "Kids With Dreams" program at Stanford University selected the playground project for their 1st annual "Field of Dreams" event.

Seventh-grader Zoe Levine selected Magical Bridge as her Bat Mitzvah project because she wants to make a difference in her community.

"A wide range of thoughtful, grass roots supporters have been so supportive of our cause, but we must now ramp up our fundraising efforts to meet a city deadline," Villarreal said. "The new partnership with the Sereno Group is an exciting commitment to both our community and to the success of our fundraising campaign."

Over 10,000 individuals in Palo Alto have a disability and none of the city's 34 public parks fully meets their needs. Through the gracious donations from Sereno Reality Group, Kids With Dreams and students like Zoe Levine, the park will soon be a reality.

About Magical Bridge:
Friends of the Magical Bridge was established in 2008, and is a project of Friends of the Palo Alto Parks, a non-profit serving Palo Alto since 2003.

The Magical Bridge’s mission is to provide a playground where families of all abilities can experience the joy of outdoor fun. A group of dedicated community members and experts have spent the last three years researching, designing planning the nation’s most innovative accessible playground.

The Friends must raise $3.8 million in private funding for the development and construction of the playground.

The city of Palo Alto has designated 1.28 acres of under-utilized land in Mitchell Park as the location. Groundbreaking of the project is expected to be late 2013.

For more information on how you can help change a life, please visit www.magicalbridge.org.

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