The Kiwanis Club will build a playground in Prescott to honor Kayla Mueller. The humanitarian aid worker died earlier this year while being held captive by the self-proclaimed Islamic State in Syria. Arizona Public Radio’s Justin Regan reports.
The city of Prescott along with the Kiwanis Club and the Youth Hockey League contributed about half of the $80,000 needed for the project. The Arizona Diamondbacks and Arizona Public Service Company donated the rest. The playground will be built at Pioneer Park in Prescott and it will be designed to give easy access for people with disabilities. It will also include play equipment designed for adults.
Carl Mueller recently told the Daily Courier that his daughter’s body was never recovered and she doesn’t have an actual gravesite. The playground and a plaque there with her name on it will function as a lasting memorial. He also said they’ll expand the project if donations continue to come in.
Kayla Mueller was a Prescott native and attended Northern Arizona University. She was helping Syrian refugees in 2013 when she was taken captive by ISIS.
