A plaque at the new playground at Enterprise Elementary School urges people to remember Daniel Hanson, who died just before he was to enter kindergarten.

ENTERPRISE — In memory of Daniel Hanson, who “loved play” and those he played with, a new playground was dedicated Monday, Oct. 10, at Enterprise Elementary School.

Dozens of Enterprise Elementary School students swarmed onto the new playground after Daniel’s sister, Emma, helped cut the ribbon with Damiana Maxwell, who spearheaded the project with fellow early intervention specialist Sara Hayes of the InterMountain Education Service District.

Daniel died Sept. 7, 2020, during an accident while riding his bicycle, his stepfather, Justin Harvey, said. The 5-year-old boy was set to enter kindergarten at Enterprise that month.

The approximately $160,000 project was mostly funded by grants and donations from the Wildhorse Foundation, the Ford Family Foundation, the Lewis & Clark Valley Healthcare Foundation, Oregon Community Foundation and InterMountain ESD, with in-kind support from local businesses such as Rahn Sanitary, Enterprise Electric, the Moffit Brothers and Hurricane Creek Landscaping, Maxwell said.

“Out of this tragedy came the desire to honor (Daniel’s) love of play by creating a space that would accommodate kids of all abilities,” Maxwell said. “Daniel loved life, his family and his little sisters, Emma and Brynlynn. … He was almost always the first one to come and tell me if a friend was sad or hurt and when we went in from the playground, he would not only notice if someone had left their coat or tiny glove behind, but he would know who it belonged to and bring it to them.”

In welcoming Emma Hanson to help with the ribbon-cutting, Maxwell said, “After two years of grieving, planning, raising money, collaboration … we are here to dedicate the Enterprise Elementary Collaborative Playground to Daniel Hanson and his love of play.”

A plaque installed in a corner of the playground bears Daniel’s photograph and encourages all to remember him happy, strong, playing and loving.