My wife Jane Baron Rechtman never knew Barbados. She died (pancreatic cancer) in March 2016, and I moved to Barbados in January 2017. She would have loved it here.

Jane taught comparative religion and ethics at a private high school in Westchester County, NY for over thirty years. She mentored hundreds of young people in the course of her career, and was revered as pedagogic royalty by her teaching peers. Her dedication to children and parenting permeated our entire married life.

Naturally Jane remains with me in many ways, and as a result I sometimes conjure up things to do for children that Jane would appreciate. The idea for expanding the playground at Hastings Rocks arose directly from this perspective: one evening while taking my regular constitutional on the Richard Haynes Boardwalk, I noticed children politely lining up single-file to wait their turn to mount one of two swings that comprised the entire playpark at Hastings Rocks. Immediately adjacent to the swings was an undeveloped 1,000 square foot plot of land jutting out to an observation point on the Boardwalk. A beautiful sunset completed the inspiration, and the idea was born.

This vision has been advanced dramatically by the pro bono commitment of numerous individuals, including prominent UK/Barbados architect Christina Voss. The primary structure will be a 9-meter long, two-masted “Shipwreck” that will accommodate simultaneous play for 30+ children. Additional free-standing components will include a see-saw and a bird’s nest swing or carousel. All hardware is being treated with special coatings for an oceanfront environment, and is already in use in similar settings around the world.

The anticipated useful life of this installation is 10+ years. Over a decade it will host thousands of joyful hours of play. Jane would be thrilled to be associated with this joy!

The total fundraising goal is $150,000. Jane's family has committed one-half of this amount, and the project is being supported with major donations from friends of the Jewish community in Barbados. This GoFundMe campaign seeks to raise the balance, approximately $50,000.

Thanks so much for your support.

Neal Rechtman

Christ Church, Barbados