100th playground planned
Biloxi SUN HERALD
June 8, 2008

After Hurricane Katrina struck the Coast, KaBOOM!, a national nonprofit that helps communities build playgrounds, made a commitment to build 100 playgrounds in the areas hardest hit.

On June 14 in Bay St. Louis, KaBOOM! will reach this goal.

"When KaBOOM! began Operation Playground just three months after Hurricane Katrina struck, those outside the area were incredulous, believing that playgrounds were the last thing people needed in the midst of the devastation," said Darell Hammond, KaBOOM! CEO and co-founder. "But we knew that the Gulf Coast's youngest residents needed safe places to escape the stress of the rebuilding effort and reclaim their childhood."

On Dec. 17, 2005, more than 600 residents and other volunteers came together at Carol Vegas Park in Bay St. Louis to build a new playground, the first new permanent structure in the town after Katrina. [More]

Learn more about the 100th build