There are some days better than others, and often, days blur together.  We are lucky in our lives to have some days that we will always remember – vividly and fondly.  The day I graduated from high school, my wedding day, my first trip to New York City, first day in London, shaking hands with the president of the United States of America, and certainly each of the five days (or, in some cases, nights!) I gave birth to my children.  It may sound strange to add our Legacy Prep/Build-A-Bear Build Day to my list, but the experience has earned a place in my heart I honestly will not forget.

As a mother of five kids, I have spent the last thirteen years knee-deep in the trenches of motherhood and child-rearing.  I would often feel moved after reading about acts of community volunteering, but have been so busy with my family, it seemed  overwhelming to get involved myself.  This all changed for me when I became involved with KaBOOM!  They were so organized and professional, it made my transition into volunteering quite easy.

The planning process was long, but worth it.  Project Manager Amanda Bernard was outstanding!  She never ( really! never!) dropped the ball.  She guided me through the process; sometimes she was encouraging, sometimes reassuring and sometimes pleasantly pushy.  I so enjoyed working with her, and often joked I was going to let everyone think her excellent work was my idea!

The team from Build-A-Bear was amazing.  Joie was always enthusiastic and contributing.  Her team of workers at Design Day made me feel like I had so much help!  Their contributions to our school were truly inspiring.  I could not believe these people who would never have children playing on our playground were giving so much of their time and energy to help us.  Their generosity of spirit was something I will never forget.

When the week of our build arrived, I met with Amanda and her second-in-command Justin.  I cannot say enough about how impressive they both were.  Not only were they totally knowledgeable about their work, I could tell they really believed in what they were doing: community building.  They both encouraged our newly forged team to work together, have fun and get this thing done!  I think they both deserve a raise….

Build Day itself was definitely the climax of this story.  It was amazing to see so many volunteers…family members of Build-A-Bear employees, parents, staff from my husband’s office, grandparents, etc…show-up to help us.  To see that empty space be transformed in so short of a time was awesome!  After it was done, all the hugging and high-fiving was a great feeling.  I know everyone there had a great experience.

I have heard so many comments since then.  “That was one of the best experiences of my life!”  “I am so glad we did that ourselves and didn’t just pay someone else to do it!”  “Every time I look at that playground I will think about all those people working together on it.” And my favorite…“Let’s go build a playground for someone else!” 

The mission of KaBOOM! has been realized here at Legacy Prep.  You really did help unite our community through a playground.  We had fun, and now our children have a playground!  I went by the school the other day before school was in session…there were kids swinging and playing and laughing.  It truly has been a very impressionable experience in my life.  Thank you for giving me the opportunity to feel the pure joy of service.

Learn more about the KaBOOM! and Build-A-Bear Workshop.