The Thrill of Climbing High, continued
B
ut it is not the numbers of volunteers who
have helped or children who have played
that reveal the impact of this playground.
It is the stories. The playground has given our
children something to be proud of. What a gift for
these children to be able to invite their friends from
school to play on their playground. They don‘t
have a home to invite them to. They only have a
single bed in a shelter dorm, but now they have
a playground to call their own.
In these five years, the playground has been a
gathering point, a place for families that were
broken to reconnect. I have seen a homeless father,
a former drug addict, lovingly lift his daughter
onto the swing, a young mom catch her little girl
as she comes down the slide, and a bright 8-year-old
who has been through so much—the loss of her
mom, separation from her sister—climb to the
highest point and smile with pride at her
accomplishment. The shelter meets our families‘
basic needs – it gives them housing. The playground
meets our children‘s heart needs – it gives them
a home.
playground grant opportunity
Could your school, organization, or community use a new playground?
KaBOOM!, in partnership with Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, is offering
$15,000 Let’s Play Playground Constructions Grants to qualifying
organizations using the KaBOOM! community-build model.
Applications are due September 30th. Click here for more information.