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| Wednesday, May 24, 2006 |
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Cunard Memorial Playground
By KaBOOM News @ 12:00 AM :: 1156 Views ::
0 Comments :: Features From KaBOOM!
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Building the Heart of a Neighborhood with the KaBOOM! Online Planner
Imagine having everything you hold most dear to your heart ripped away from you in an instant. On July 10th, 2003, Brad Cunard was driving with his family when a tree suddenly fell on the vehicle, killing Lisa Cunard and their sons, 3-year-old Max and 5-month-old Owen. Brad survived but was left with the crushing loss of his wife and two young boys.
The Atlanta neighborhood of Virginia-Highland was shocked and overcome with grief at the tragic loss of their three neighbors. Cynthia Gentry, next-door neighbor of the Cunards, began receiving phone calls fro m community members asking what they could do. An idea was formed to replace a dilapidated swing set at the near-by John Howell Park, a frequent play place of the Cunard family. Cynthia described the existing playground at the park as pathetic. “It was pretty sparse. Much of the plastic was covered in mold and the ground was covered with mud. There was nothing for anybody over four or five. People never used it anymore and the park area surrounding it was run down.” From replacing just one piece of equipment to creating a whole new playground, the idea grew and filled the hearts of the community. The plan to create a memorial playground was devised and the neighborhood rallied around the idea as something lasting and tangible to demonstrate their support.
A week and a half after the devastating accident, Cynthia presented Brad with the plan for a community-built memorial playground. “I went to him first and ran it by him. I didn’t want to cause him more pain. The minute I told him, his face lit up.” Perhaps something good would come out of this terrible tragedy.
Energized by the thought of the memorial playground, the Virginia-Highland community asked themselves, “how do we build a playground?” Cynthia found the answer in the KaBOOM! online playground planner. This free online resource gives communities the tools and the help needed to efficiently dream, plan and build their own community playspace.
“When we walked into this, we had no idea what we were doing,” explained Cynthia. The KaBOOM! playground planner proved to be a huge advantage. “To be able to pull up the getting started kit was great and just such a help!” She said that having their own project website added a sense of professionalism to the project and, “was where we sent everyone for more info. It was also a great  way for people to contact us.” A list of needed supplies was placed on the planner website. When a local Atlanta tool bank found out about the project and learned of the tools that were needed, they donated all the tools for the project. The local Whole Foods store dedicated a day to help fundraise by donating 5% of that day’s profits and a local radio station took calls offering support and monetary donations for the project, raising over $40,000 in one morning. Neighbors, friends, loved ones and caring strangers all helped to make the memorial playground become a reality.
On November 15th and 16th, 2003, 25 members of the local Cub Scout pack #17 camped out at the park to provide security for the playground site. That Saturday over 100 community members came out to help construct the new playground. The moldy plastic was replaced with bright blue and yellow pieces, the drainage problem was fixed and the surface covered in soft rubber. In addition to renovating the existing play space, a separate area was leveled to create a playground for older children. Perhaps the favorite addition to the park was the bright red fire engine structure built in memory of Max, who had loved fire engines.
Over the next three months work continued to beautify the park. A memorial garden was planted with a myriad of plants and trees donated from l ocal nurseries. The entire park space was re-sodded and a sculpture was created to honor the lives lost. Cast in vibrant bronze, it is of Lisa and the two boys, happy and smiling. Complementing the artistic piece are three tress planted in memory of Lisa, Max and Owen. Finally, on March 28th, 2004 over 500 community members came together for an emotional grand opening of the park. “People stayed all day,” commented Cynthia. “It was the most amazing day. The playground has become the heart of our neighborhood.”
“I would never do anything but a community-build,” Cynthia gushed enthusiastically about the KaBOOM! model, which strives to utilize every asset of the community. “The way it builds community is amazing. It has brought everyone together and it belongs to everyone. The kids are gonna grow up knowing that you give to your community. It’s part of your life. And this project is both giving and receiving at the same time. It’s just been amazing.”
On the one year anniversary of their deaths, flower bouquets gathered at the base of the beautiful bronze sculpture, the largest placed there early in the morning by Brad. With the help of the KaBOOM! online planner, “He has a place to remember his family,” Cynthia said. “He loves to drive by and see kids playing there. And now his family will always be remembered.”
Project Notes
Project Planning Timeline: One of the huge successes of the Cunard project was its concentrated, four-month timeline. Immediately after the accident in July, Cynthia and her neighbors began thinking of a playground project. Two weeks later, the group had designs in hand! Just three weeks after, they received their first matching grant award and held a community meeting just a couple of weeks later. The next two months were very busy ones, and a phenomenal community-build project happened four months from the date of the accident that sparked this project.
Biggest Hurdle/Challenge: “Harnessing community enthusiasm and keeping it going were the biggest challenge,” says Cynthia Gentry. “This was a huge undertaking, and keeping everyone excited became critical. It’s important to just start wherever you are, and divide up the work. I tried to really give people time to get rested between big fundraisers. I became very conscious of the timing and of people’s energy. We really thought about when to place newspaper ads, when to hold meetings and events—we tried to space it out.”
One Piece of Advice: “Surround yourself with a good team. It’s important to fit a person with a task they’re going to really care about,” advises Cynthia. “For example, my Safety Team Captain’s son broke his arm at his school playground the week we started out project. I knew she was going to look out for safety!” says Cynthia. “Another example was my Food Team Captain. He worked locally in commercial real estate. He knew ½the businesses we solicited for food, and he wanted to know the other ½! It was a real win-win situation for him.”
Best Fundraising Tip: “Knock me over with a feather!” exclaims Cynthia with a Southern twang. “My biggest fundraising secret is to not underestimate tiny gifts. You start getting hundreds, and believe me—they add up. Go for it—ask people for $5! I was stunned by the impact these small donations have.”
30% (the single largest category) of the entire project budget came from individual gifts. The Cunard project received over 700 individual gifts, totaling around $54,880. When asked about her donors, Cynthia gratefully recognized a homeless man in the neighborhood who gave a nickel and five pennies, a little girl who took $50 out of her savings account, the local Boy Scout troop who donated the project’s first $1,000 gift from popcorn sales, the local firehouse who donated over $500 from their unused neighborhood holiday gift to the project and even R.E.M—the famous rock band from Athens, GA who was touched by the effort.
Other Fundraising Highlights:
- The Cunard project had a cash revenue of around $180,000.
- 30% came from individual gifts.
- 23% came from gifts from local associations, churches and/or grants.
- 22% came from four special events:
- $3,000 from a local Whole Foods grocery store, who donated 5% of one day’s sales to the project.
- $12,200 from an art auction hosted at a local gym.
- $3,500 from a Hair Cut-a-thon. Stylists from a local hair salon volunteered to work on a Sunday, giving hair cuts for $25. That’s nearly 150 hair cuts!
- $20,000 came from the group’s biggest event, a local restaurant benefit. Over 30 local restaurants donated a portion of dinner sales to the project, and many wait staff donated that night’s tips.
- 25% came from corporate contributions, many of which were gifts by groups of employees who got together and collected money.
How has this project changed you and/or your community?
“You would not believe the impact a playground has on a community—I never would have before this!” swears Cynthia. “As for me, it changed my life.” She explains, “Never in a million years did I think I could pull this off. I had never experienced anything like it. This project was non-stop, around-the-clock, hard work! I have never worked so hard on anything. But this playground changed the way I feel about people and about community. It amazes me what people can do when they put their hearts to it. Through it, I became part of this neighborhood; it became a home for me. Doing this helped me see that I can do a lot more than I ever dreamed I could—and I haven’t stopped since!”
To read more community-build success stories, click here!
Meet Cynthia at U Play! Chicago this July! Cynthia will be a panelist for the How’d They Do It? session. For details about U Play! Chicago, click here.
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