Bedford Erickson is a special kid with a rare condition, and the playground designed with him in mind is taking shape at his future school.

The Kankakee 3-year-old has been the subject of a fundraising campaign to bring an ability-inclusive playground to Grace Christian Academy, where he will be attending school in the fall.

Groundbreaking on the playground took place in April. Work is set to resume in the next couple weeks, and the project is expected to be complete in mid-to-late June.

The old equipment has been replaced with the bones of a brand-new playset designed by Unlimited Play, a nonprofit that builds inclusive playgrounds.

Unlimited Play chose Bedford’s Playground as the first project in its new “Together We Play” initiative.

The new playground is set to include ramps to make the area accessible, a softer turf flooring, and play equipment where able-bodied and disabled kids can play side by side.

Bedford’s parents, Hollie and Jesse Erickson, have garnered mountains of attention and support for their son by sharing his story on social media under the account @wonderfullifewithbedford.

“I feel like every time we put it out there, someone picks up the story and is like, ‘Yes, we’ll help,’” said Hollie Erickson, a former Grace Christian principal.

Bedford was born with a rare genetic disorder, Schwartz-Jampel Syndrome, characterized by permanent muscle stiffness and bone abnormalities.

Despite the difficulties of his condition, Bedford loves to play.

Erickson said the $380,000 fundraising goal to build the playground has been exceeded, allowing for the addition of extra pieces of equipment.

Now, two additional features are in the works.

A new goal was set to raise $75,000 for the addition of a sports court for kids of all ages and abilities next to the playground.

This would create a cemented area for kids to play outdoor sports like volleyball, basketball and pickle ball.

At the school’s annual dinner auction April 25, the fundraising goal for the court was exceeded, with close to $80,000 raised.

“That was fully funded within like 15 minutes at the auction,” Hollie Erickson said.

A final fundraising goal was set to raise money for a covered pavilion for the cemented area next to the playground. Depending on the final amount raised, a smaller or larger option could be selected for the pavilion. The smaller option is around $120,000, and the larger option is around $200,000.

Erickson said enough support keeps pouring in that option two is a real possibility.

“It’s morphed into a very large and cool project,” she said.

For more information on the project, or to donate, search for Bedford’s Inclusive Playground, Kankakee IL, on unlimitedplay.org.