Rotary Hears About Levi Miles Foundation

McKENZIE (February 25) — Members of the Rotary Club of McKenzie heard from guest speaker David Miles of Paris about the Levi Miles Foundation and the work it is performing to assist families and individuals with children who have rare diseases, mobility issues, or those who need specialized equipment to improve their lives.

David and Shayna Miles lost their two-and-a-half year old son, Levi, to a rare disease. It was a traumatic experience that lead the young couple to create the Levi Miles Foundation to help others.

The biggest of these projects is the construction of a state-of-the-art inclusive playground at Ogburn Park in Paris, Tennessee. The new playground will welcome children and families of all backgrounds and abilities. The playground’s inclusive design, equipment, and surfacing materials is estimated to cost $2,500,000. The Foundation has raised $1.9 million.

They participate and encourage school students to participate in the Best Buddies program, a national program and offers one-to-one friendship programs for individuals with and without disabilities in Henry County, Tennessee. Funding is provided for all Best Buddies chapters in Henry County, which allows students at school to participate in a friendship program free of cost.

The Foundation hosts four Kids Camps annually. Each is intentionally designed to be inclusive and accessible to all children. The Foundation stands against excluding children for any reason and understands the importance of experiences created with friends.