Matteo's Dream

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What may be the nation's largest and most elaborate playground for disabled kids is rising this week in Concord, thanks to an army of volunteers moved by the plight of a 7-year-old boy in a wheelchair.
More than 2,000 people are toting lumber, gluing tile mosaics and hammering castle spires to erect a huge play-structure complex that covers 12,000 square feet, roughly 10 times the size of a typical Bay Area home. Last weekend more than 1,400 people showed up, even though it was raining.
"The only time you usually see this number of people volunteering together is after a disaster like a hurricane or earthquake," said Michael Cohen, a project manager from Leathers & Associates, a New York firm hired to direct the effort. "It's amazing to see this kind of community support."
Dubbed Matteo's Dream after a 7-year-old Concord boy who's blind and uses a wheelchair, the playground is scheduled to be completed Sunday and, after installation of a rubber ground mat, to open on May 16.

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• play
• ground
• disabled
• matteo
• volunteer
• Concord
• fun
• kids
• children