TULSA, Okla. — Little Light House celebrated the ground breaking of the Sarah Ashley Harmon Memorial Splash Pad on Monday morning.

Little Light House, located near East 36th Street and South Yale Avenue,  is a Tulsa special education and therapy resource for children with special needs, as well as their families and caregivers.

The organization said the splash pad has always been a vision they had. They said they wanted to create a space where their students can enjoy sensory play, practice therapy techniques and explore through social interaction with their friends.

“This has been a dream and vision of Little Light House for many years,” Georgia Cannady, senior director of development. “Just over the last year we’ve really made this dream a reality. And today, we’re just celebrating the splash pad and the hard work and the donors that donated to this, but also a wonderful young woman named Sarah Ashley.”

Sarah Ashley Harmon, the namesake of the splash pad, was a former therapy intern at Little Light House.

“Sarah Ashley Harmon passed away in December of 2021,” said Lauren Gebhard, senior director of Children and family services. “She had been a therapy intern at Little Light House and Little Light House captured her heart. She captured our heart … it was an easy decision to do the splash pad because Sarah had been involved and loved water day in a summer camp experience that we put on for our kids. And so we just thought, what better way to honor her by doing something that’s fun and that the kids will benefit from for years to come. So, we are so truly honored to be able to have her legacy continue on here. She treasured children with special abilities and that’s who’s gonna be benefiting from the splash pad.”

Gebhard said the splash pad will be a way for the kids to, not only have fun, but also have a form of sensory therapy.

“A lot of our kiddos love water play and a lot of our kiddos are also nervous around water and so, to give them a fun, positive experience where they’re going to be able to interact with their friends, with their teachers, in a place that they’re familiar with and learn about water in a fun way, a safe way, is going to be really huge,” Gebhard said. “Some kids, even like brushing their teeth or taking a bath, like that is difficult for them because that’s a sensory experience that maybe they’re not comfortable with. So the exposure to water in a fun way is going to be really huge.”

Cannday said the splash pad should be up-and-running by April 2023.

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