“I was just flipping through a magazine the summer of 2010 when an article about KaBOOM! stirred something in me. There was a deserted lot in my neighborhood that had stood empty and vacant for over 16 years. We had been promised a playground for years – it was time for action. Along with three other parents in the community, we decided to start a 501C3 and stop waiting.
It started with the KaBOOM! Imagination Playground giveaway, in which we placed 5th! Our group got to work, and the KaBOOM! online resources, webinars and trainings were an invaluable resource. We began fundraising, learning about volunteer management, learning about how to manage a community build – all thanks to the online project planner. We had never done anything like this before, but we were determined to make a change.
This summer, less than a year after we started, a new playground went up in that barren, empty lot. As we raised the mast on the new pirate-ship themed playground, we knew it was something we would never forget. Nicole Distefano, our secretary, said it best, ‘I have a profound respect for playgrounds now.’”
– Jacqueline Miller, Stillwater, NY
The Friends of the Stillwater Glen Hollow Park knew their community needed a playground, they knew where to go to learn how to do it, and they built it with the resources from their own community.
Play it forward so we can keep inspiring and teaching people like Jacqueline how to build their own playgrounds.
"My first playground project presented many challenges. The arsenic-laced soil where they playground was supposed to be caused a $60,000 problem and a year’s delay. The second playground I built was another challenge – the playground equipment had been purchased years before, and had, by then, fallen out of code with the American Disability Act.
"I am on the Board of our local Community Development Corporation in my town - The Colony - in Texas. In my position I get to help direct tax payer dollars to community enrichment and recreation projects - like parks, trails and playgrounds. I had always viewed this as a big responsibility, which I took very seriously. When we were installing new playgrounds I would be sure to inspect each one - did we get all the parts we paid for? Was it installed correctly? Is it well-lit? Was there any graffiti on the equipment? I viewed my role in a very utilitarian light.
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