The Boise River Greenbelt has become one of the top attractions in Boise, pulling in audiences from all over the city and all of Idaho. The Bloch Cancer Survivors Plaza has added another attraction to the Greenbelt to provide visitors with an additional way to engage with the entire space while also providing cancer survivors where they can go to draw inspiration.
Reducing Fear and Providing Inspiration
The Bloch Cancer Survivors Plaza was funded with a $1 million grant from the Richard & Annette Bloch Foundation. Like other cancer survivor parks across the country, the space was created to give hope and courage to newly diagnosed patients, to inspire determination for those who are fighting the disease and to reduce fear in those who have not had cancer.
The plaza is designed to take the visitor on a reflective journey. The path of the Positive Mental Attitude Walk is intentionally not straight, hinting at the deeper significance of a path in life that is never straight. Inspirational and instructive messages are displayed throughout the walk, all of which sre interspersed with healing plantings. These plantings were selected for their textures, sounds, fragrances and vibrant colors.
The sandstone ribbon leads to the main plaza and culminates as a circle in the center of the plaza. The focal point of the plaza is Wind Dance, a kinetic kite sculpture. The landscape that surrounds the plaza combines all of these elements to signify the experiences that make people who they are but also represents what it means to overcome mental and physical challenges, including cancer.
The pavilion at Bloch Cancer Survivors Plaza overlooks a duck pond, features a colorful mural, a paved walkway with bronze footprints signifying a child’s steps to survival. There are also two hop-scotch designs made with engravings by kids who have battled cancer, and personalized tiles that form picnic tabletops.
While the Cancer Survivor Park in San Diego created a park out of what would otherwise be empty space, the Bloch Cancer Survivors Plaza provides an additional attraction to anyone visiting monuments along the Greenbelt like Idaho Fallen Firefighters Memorial Park or the Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial. This addition of the Bloch Cancer Survivors Plaza highlights how monuments can further enable experiences and engagement for visitors and entire cities.
Cancer Does Not Equate to Death
The additional attraction along the Greenbelt has further added to the appeal of visiting the area for both residents and visitors, but the Bloch Cancer Survivors Plaza is about something much deeper. Above all else, visitors are encouraged to understand that cancer does not equate to death, which signifies how monuments can enable engagement for multiple audiences in distinct and powerful ways.
