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Kids design a new Salvation Army playground
by Syd Fong, published on August 8, 2012 at 3:45 PM
Storyline: Salvation Army
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“I have a swing, a slide and a swimming pool.”
That’s how nine-year-old Leila described her dream playground. She was one of a dozen kids from The Salvation Army’s E. Claire Raley Transitional Living Center who participated in a “Design Day” on August 7.
The event, hosted by PG&E, The Salvation Army-Sacramento and organizers from KaBOOM!, allowed the children to draw their ultimate dream playground. Elements from the drawings will be incorporated into the final design for a new playground to be built by volunteers on October 6 at the Transitional Living Center.
“We like to say that the kids are the play experts,” said Katrina Hill, KaBOOM! associate project manager. “They are the ones playing in the playground, so they know everything that we need to know to design the best playground possible.”
KaBOOM! is a national nonprofit organization that specializes in building playgrounds throughout the country. Since 1995, KaBOOM! has used its innovative community-build model to bring together business and community interests to construct more than 1,500 new playgrounds, skateparks, sports fields and ice rinks across North America.
This upcoming project was made possible because of PG&E, which is the corporate sponsor of the playground build.
“We are so appreciative of PG&E for its generosity and support, “said Major Ray Yant, Salvation Army Sacramento County Coordinator. “I know this playground will be used by countless amounts of children, and it will be another way to help the families in our program.”
The new playground will be a boost for the families in the Transitional Living Center, a 34-unit complex that assists local homeless families with structured programs and an opportunity to live in a unit from six months to two years.
“The playground is just what we need,” said John, a program participant and the father of Leila. “The kids here need a place to play where the parents know it’s going to be safe.”
This will be the second playground built for The Salvation Army in the last three years. In 2009, a play structure was constructed for the after-school program in the Oak Park area.
Disclosure:
Syd Fong is the public relations director for The Salvation Army. For more information about The Salvation Army, log onto www.salarmysacto.org or join the facebook page www.facebook.com/salvationarmysacramento
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Laura Good
August 8, 2012 | 6:41 PM
A new playground is cool, but even cooler is that children were invited to participate in the design. What a self-esteem builder! "I helped design a playground!" Sparks may have been fanned into flames in some of the children who will now pursue careers as architects or civil engineers or artists because of this experience. I hope there is feedback to the kids when the playground design is finalized so that they can see how their visions became a reality!
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Michael Saeltzer
August 8, 2012 | 11:24 PM
Hopefully the children will be included to this degree or further in the reconstruction of the McKinley Park playground! Possibly KaBoom could be used as a resource.
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KaBOOMTIM
August 10, 2012 | 6:53 AM
Michael, contact me at two zero two, four six four, six zero seven zero. I work at KaBOOM! in the grants program. - Tim Williamson
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