The ribbon was cut for the Full Throttle Inclusive Playground at Wesley Bishop Fields on Sept. 25.
The township’s first all-abilities playground is named in honor of Jack Casey Hannon, a Moorestown boy remembered for his love of sports and his “full throttle” attitude toward life.
Jack was born on August 17, 2015. He was your typical little boy who loved his parents, Kristin and Casey, big brother Brady and little brother Trey, and his grandparents Jim and Nancy Hannon and Mark and Sandy D’Onofrio. He always gave big smiles, shared lots of laughter with his friends and loved to give high fives. He gave 100% of himself 100% of the time. Jack passed away on August 2, 2021, just before his 6th birthday. Spearheaded by the Hannon family, the project reflects his spirit and love of bringing people together.
When it was determined that an inclusive playground would cost more than $1 million, the Jack Hannon Full Throttle Fund provided funding for the services of Triad Associates, a firm specializing in securing public grant funding. In collaboration with the township, Triad successfully completed the application process for a New Jersey Green Acres grant, securing the maximum allowable grant for inclusive playgrounds of $750,000.
The Green Acres grant also required a minimum of 25% in matching funds. The Jack Hannon Full Throttle Fund at the Community Foundation of South Jersey generously fulfilled this requirement with a $500,000 grant awarded to the township.
For Kristin, seeing the playground come to life felt bittersweet. Jack loved sports, but he also loved chess and checkers, STEM activities, puzzles and maps, trains, any form of transportation, climbing on anything and visiting playgrounds.
“Jack loved to play,” Kristin said. “He loved to have fun, to be silly, to be ornery – like most 5-year-olds – and to be surrounded by friends and family. Jack lived full throttle – with energy, with joy and with a smile that was impossible to forget.”
The project also benefited from the expertise of Pennoni Associates, Inc., Township Engineer; Ben Shaffer Recreation, Inc./Greenlane Contractors; and Premier Product Development (PPD), LLC. Special appreciation is extended to Tom Miller of PPD Design for his generous contribution of time, experience, and considerable effort in designing the all-inclusive playground.
When Kristin and Casey spoke with Scott & Patty Tumminello from Ben Shaffer Recreation, the designers of the playground, they had a few requests. They wanted to include some of Jack’s favorite things, and they wanted every child to feel welcome. Kristin and Casey wanted all children, regardless of ability or age, to play together, laugh together, make friends and simply enjoy being kids. Like Full Throttle Field, the Hannon family wanted to create a space where no child felt left out, a place filled with the kind of joy Jack brought wherever he went. Full Throttle Field, the second project created in Jack’s memory, is a state-of-the-art Phillies inspired wiffle ball field located at Moorestown’s Memorial Fields.
“It’s a space where kids come and play, and have that freedom of just being a kid,” Casey said of the Full Throttle Inclusive Playground. “It’s been a long journey for us and there’s times where there’s sadness and grief but seeing the opening itself and the true joy on the kid’s faces when they got to get in there and run around and enjoy it all really made it feel right.”
The project wouldn’t have been possible without the help of others including Mission Voice, a nonprofit whose mission is to help children with communication issues find their voice through AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) technology; Theresa Miller, former director of the township’s parks and recreation department and her husband Tom; and Kristin’s dad Mark, also known as pop-pop. D’Onofrio spearheaded the project from the beginning – coordinating, managing, problem solving and working tirelessly to help bring the playground to life. From the countless emails to the phone calls, meetings, travelling for over an hour each way to frequently visit the playground, and making sure every detail was handled to perfection, Kristin and Casey can’t thank him enough. Tom took the time and energy and applied his expertise in the industry to think of every little detail to make the playground a safe, inclusive, and state-of-the-art space in town. Theresa is the reason the idea came about. Before she retired as the head of parks and rec in 2024, Kristin and Casey asked her for her bucket list, and she immediately said an inclusive playground. Kristin and Casey thought it would be the perfect way to honor Jack and bring fun and joy to children in the community.
“We wish more than anything that Jack could be here with us, but we love seeing the joy on kid’s faces, and everybody that plays here carries a little piece of his spirit and energy forward,” Kristin said. “When we cut the ribbon, it was a magical stampede. The kids charged the playground and there were smiles everywhere.
The existing playground at Wesley Bishop Fields was removed and has since been fully transformed into an inclusive destination. The Hannon family hopes the new playground will serve Moorestown’s children and families for generations to come.
Mayor Quinton Law echoed the sentiment emphasizing that every child deserves to share in the simple joy of play.
“Every child deserves a place to feel that they belong,” Law said. “The Hannon family has given Moorestown that lasting gift. We are grateful for their generosity and determination, and proud to help bring their vision to life.”
The official ribbon cutting for the Full Throttle Inclusive Playground took place at at Wesley Bishop Fields last month.
Spearheaded by the Hannon family, the project reflects their son Jack’s spirit and his love of bringing people together.
The existing playground at Wesley Bishop Fields has been fully transformed into an inclusive destination.
