Mayor Greg Wolfe, members of the Monroe Township Council, and Gloucester County Commissioners participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Finn’s Friends Park on June 29.
Finn’s Friends is an autism awareness nonprofit founded by Anthony “Tony” Iovino, who also spearheaded the creation of the park, which is named after his young autistic son, Finn. Iovino is a lifelong Monroe Township resident and local business owner. The park is located behind the Pfeiffer Community Center.
During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Finn gave a brief speech about his thoughts on the park’s creation and was presented with a Gloucester County Board of Commissioners Certificate of Commendation for the grand opening of Finn’s Friends Park by Deputy Director Jim Jefferson. Gloucester County Commissioners Matt Weng and Joann Gattinelli also attended the event.
Mayor Wolfe was pleased with the turnout for the park’s grand opening and proud that Monroe Township is home to Gloucester County’s first Jake’s Place grant-funded, all-inclusive park.
“[Iovino] asked that we build an all-inclusive park,” Mayor Wolfe said. “His son has autism, so he wanted to try to raise funds for a park like this, but the cost of a project like this is more than $1 million.”
“My administration researched the available funding,” he continued. “We were able to get our grant writer, Triad, to find a grant that funded 75% of the project. We received a $750,000 grant through Green Acres.”
Mayor Wolfe explained that Jake’s Place is a network of all-inclusive parks named after Jacob Myles Cummings-Nasto, a two-year-old boy who died from a rare heart condition.
Some of the park’s key features include rubberized surfacing that provides easy access for children using wheelchairs. The park also offers a variety of inclusive, zero-gravity-style play equipment, and the swing sets are designed for children with disabilities.
“Our neighboring town, Washington Township, received a very similar, if not identical, grant,” Mayor Wolfe said. “They’re about a month behind us, so we’re looking forward to them opening their park. We’re all going to visit it, hopefully for their grand opening, and support that community as well.”
Finn is excited about the new park and impressed by how the community came together to build it.
“This park is amazing,” he exclaimed. “There are kids bursting in all the stuff, so I hope you guys really can come.”
Mayor Greg Wolfe (left to right) Deputy Director Jim Jefferson, Commissioner Matt Weng, Commissioner Joann Gattinelli and Finn Iovino (center)
