Anniversary Week ProjectsJohn Henry Beck Park - Biloxi, Miss.
A Blog by Megan Taormino
 Why Is It Important to Bring Play Back to the Gulf Coast?"Playing gets families involved. Kids having fun, making memories and involving the community make a sense of belonging and warmth. All this from bringing a smile to a child's face. Why wouldn't anyone love that?" Kandy Koch, Arabi, LA
"To take the mind of what happened one year ago" Mark Cuccio, New Orleans, LA
"Having documented the hurricanes and its results for the past year I can saw with certainty that having a place to play is not only helpful, but required for a healthy comeback for the Gulf Coast region." Kenneth Wilkes, Baton Rouge, LA
"So many adults are sick with stress and kids no longer just play. They are rushed around to various activities, clubs and sports; however they miss out on pure PLAY! Without play kids become stressed adults. Playgrounds give kids of all ages a chance to simply play!" Dana Beth
"Because playing brings the community together. It allows for kids to develop physically and mental through social interaction and physical challenges." Meg
"Play is essential to learning for children ages 2-12. It is very important to put play back in the lives of children who have survived a disaster; it begins to make their lives seem normal." Kori Thomas, Baton Rouge, LA
Americorps*NCCC
One of the biggest volunteer groups at our Beck Park build (and at many of our Operation Playground builds) were members of Americorps*NCCC. NCCC is a 10-month volunteer oriented program for young people between the ages of 18-24. At almost every build, NCCC members are the first to arrive and the last to leave. At the end of the day, when everyone else is exhausted and losing steam, you can always count on NCCC members for help breaking down the last pile of mulch. Today I had the opportunity to speak with Vanessa Daly from Portland, Oregon on her thoughts about KaBOOM! and Operation Playground. Vanessa remarked that the KaBOOM! builds are always very efficiently run and is impressed with the playground build's ability to bring the community together. She has participated in a lot of community service projects and thinks the most successful projects ask for the community to be involved, whether it's by fundraising or volunteering. Projects where a group of volunteers just comes in to complete the work and leave and helpful, but not as rewarding for either party.
 Beck Park Community Impact
Sharon Henshaw, Executive Director of Coastal Women for Change feels that having a playground at Beck Park will do wonders for the surrounding community. Since the storms, the neighborhood has made minimal progress on their rebuilding efforts. One reason is because many people in the area where renters and are waiting for multi-family dwellings to be rebuilt. Beck Park was almost never used by families and children in the community because it was very dangerous and a haven for drug dealers. Like many Operation Playground Community Partners, she feels that the playground will motivate the neighborhood to rebuild and will have a positive effect on the children of the community and will serve as a place for them to escape and be kids again.
Click here to read about the Nelson Charter School build in New Orleans on Monday. |