Most of the money and two-thirds of the volunteers came from Home Depot. Last year, the building-supplies retailer joined with the nonprofit organization KaBOOM! to build and renovate 1,000 playgrounds in 1,000 days.
The volunteers divided themselves into teams, some putting together the play structures, some mixing concrete and some carting wood chips in blue tarps.
A team from the Rialto Home Depot put together a small climbing wall, screwing in each handhold and foothold. The volunteers had to redo some of their work after using the wrong screws.
Sam Alvizo just laughed at the mistake, joking when asked if he and his volunteers had ever built a climbing wall before.
"I think that speaks for itself," he said.
But Alvizo, general manager of the Rialto store, and some members of his team had worked on playground projects in Pomona and Ontario. The projects help the volunteers as well as the children who get new places to play, he said.
"It gets my team outside. It's team-building. They get to meet other people from other stores," Alvizo said.
Stores gave time off to employees who wanted to help. Volunteers came from a half dozen stores, said Brian Lay, store manager for the Riverside Home Depot.
Children gave their ideas on what they wanted for the playground, said Stephanie Nelson, a project manager for KaBOOM!
Home Depot paid $47,200 toward the Jurupa Family YMCA playground, while the YMCA put up $10,000. The YMCA is adding a building for 107 children in its after-school program next to the new playground.
Schools are cutting recess time, so places to play after school are even more important, said Stacy Rossi-Kollar, executive director of the Jurupa Family YMCA.
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