More than two hundred volunteers put in a good day’s work yesterday, and the result was a newly-built playground in less than six hours.
Starting at 9:30 in the morning, the group worked until 3:15 that afternoon to finish a brand new playground for the elementary students of École John W. MacLeod Fleming Tower School in Purcell’s Cove.
“I think it’s really cool,” said Grade 3 student Meridith McComb, “because I’ve never actually seen a playground with one of those rock courts before, and our school’s never had a zip-line ever.”
Theambitious plan was developed by the non-profit organization KaBoom! and the investment group Foresters. Kaboom! creates playgrounds across the continent with the goal of creating “a great place to play for every child in North America,” said Erica Liberman, an associate director of project management for KaBoom!.
The Purcell’s Cove playground is the 1,632nd one built by KaBoom!
Yesterday’s group of volunteers were mostly local parents and teachers, along with staff from Foresters.
“Our job is to find the coolest kids in Halifax to build a playground for,” Liberman said, explaining they try to pick places that serves the most children, and has the most need for a new place to play.
The students came up with their own design ideas, which were then given to a firm to develop three designs for the kids to vote on.
