Photo credits: Robin Jerstad/Jerstad Photographics Gordon’s guiding motto is: “Together, we ARE making a difference!” The park plays an important role in the healing process by offering families respite from their treatment regimen and a chance to make memories together in a fun atmosphere.īecause of his generosity and vision, Gordon has earned extensive local, regional and national recognition including an honorary Doctorate of Social Work from Our Lady of the Lake University. Modeled after successful CRITs in Mexico, CRIT USA is the first CRIT rehab center built in the U.S. Gordon also has played a key role in partnering with CRIT (Children’s Rehabilitation Institute of TeletónUSA), a $17 million clinic next to Morgan’s Wonderland serving children with neurological, muscular and skeletal challenges.
Guests with physical disabilities can transfer out of their battery-powered wheelchairs into waterproof wheelchairs for maximum aquatic fun in the sun. It features five tropically-themed splash pads with numerous get-wet elements and the River Boat Adventure ride. In June 2017, Gordon unveiled a major expansion to Morgan’s Wonderland - $17-million Morgan’s Inspiration Island, the world’s first ultra-accessible splash park.
GYM PROLOQUO FREE
Gordon’s realization that families with special-needs members have great demands on both their financial and emotional resources led to his commitment to admit anyone with a special need free of charge. Morgan’s Wonderland has welcomed more than 1 million guests from all 50 states and 65 countries through park participation and special events.
GYM PROLOQUO DRIVERS
Two years later, global automotive giant Toyota, a leader in mobility solutions for drivers with disabilities, opted to become the presenting sponsor of Morgan’s Wonderland under a long-term philanthropic agreement with Gordon. In 2007, he recognized the tremendous need for fully accessible outdoor recreational facilities, so he made another dream come true – the April 2010 grand opening of Morgan’s Wonderland.
In 2005, Gordon sold his companies and established The Gordon Hartman Family Foundation so he and wife Maggie could pursue their dream of helping children and adults with special needs. Over the next 22 years, Gordon grew his company into the largest locally owned homebuilding and land development enterprise in San Antonio. Founded in 1983, Gordon Hartman Homes built housing for low- to moderate-income families. By age 19, he had saved enough to begin his homebuilding business, and by age 23, he had started a land development company. Hartman is a philanthropist and former businessman who at the age of 15 started his own landscaping business while attending a local seminary. It is Morgan’s fervent hope that everyone with a special need – young and older, healthy or ailing, introspective or outgoing – will be touched in a very special way by Morgan’s Wonderland: a shrine of inclusion, an oasis of friendship, an unforgettable wonderland…Morgan’s Wonderland! From the very beginning, anyone with a special need has been admitted free of charge, no questions asked. The completely wheelchair-accessible park features more than 25 elements including rides, playgrounds and other colorful attractions. When it celebrated its grand opening April 10, 2010, Morgan’s Wonderland became the world’s first theme park designed with special-needs individuals in mind and built for everyone’s enjoyment. It’s apropos that the butterfly is the symbol of this unique theme park soaring to one success after another is now commonplace. That led to the construction of Morgan’s Wonderland in an abandoned quarry in Northeast San Antonio. Then and there, Gordon resolved to create opportunities and places where those with and without disabilities can come together not only for fun but also for a better understanding of one another. The tipping point occurred in 2005 when Gordon observed Morgan wanting to play with other vacationing kids at a hotel swimming pool, but the kids were leery of Morgan and didn’t want to interact with her. Morgan not only inspired the creation of a one-of-a-kind theme park but also a unique school and other initiatives benefitting the special-needs community. Morgan Hartman doesn’t realize it, but her ability to smile through physical and cognitive challenges spurred her parents – Gordon and Maggie Hartman – to do things never before accomplished for individuals with special needs and their families. Call her a catalyst, a spark, an inspiration.
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