RGP: Ryan Giannini Park
Ryan Giannini Park (RGP) is a place for solace, a place for people to commune with nature and themselves. It is a place providing alternative experiences for those the Foundation supports. Based upon simplicity and environmentally low impact use, RGP will allow all persons, including those with disabilities, experiences in the outdoors while fundamental needs of comfort, hygiene, and security can be met.
The importance of an outbound experience resonates with anyone who has ever attended summer camp, regardless of sponsorship. There is something magical about spending overnight in the woods. RGP provides that opportunity, even for those who might be too handicapped to sleep directly under the stars.
Ryan Giannini Park (RGP) is named after one of the Chalfonte community's most stalwart members, who died August, 2002, at age 20, due to complications from a rare disease called Gorham's Syndrome, or Vanishing Bone Disease. Consisting of twelve acres of meadow and woodlands, the park is located ten miles north of the Port of Elk Rapids, Michigan.
RGP is home to two rustic cabins: The Sheldon Shelter, named for another hero, Josh Sheldon, who died November 3, 2002, at age 25 while awaiting a double-lung transplant to prolong his life with cystic fibrosis, and the Kevin Kaban, named for Kevin Kankula, a diminutive and playful CFer who died at age 11 in 1978.
Many other "angels" continue to make this park possible. The Colasanti Trail meanders from the road to the cabins in the woods. Scott Brinkman, who holds a degree in forestry, directed creation of a campfire ring during the summer of 2002. It was at this site that Ryan enjoyed his last night at Chalfonte with his friends, six days before his death.
The future holds many possibilities for RGP. In 2007, we created a Haunted Forest in collaboration with the Elk Rapids Chamber of Commerce to attract the local community's participation. We are contemplating a tree house as well as a nature/peace trail to meander through the woodlands. We intend RGP to be open to the public for all who seek a serene space in which to meditate and find solace.