Helping to Rebuild a Community -- One Playground at a Time
"Among the Gulf Coast towns devastated by Hurricane Katrina, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi was a weekend casino and golf escape for some, and a lifelong home for others. The resulting devastation to the town, which includes the displacement of more than 3,000 of its residents and damage to 95 percent of its homes, has left it with an uncertain future.” --NPR - October 8, 2005.
The KaBOOM! vision, to create a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America, resonates stronger than ever during this time of need for many people living on the Gulf Coast.
Read this amazing story of how KaBOOM! is helping to bring a Hurricane Katrina ravaged community back to life....
KaBOOM! received an email from a former resident of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, with childhood memories of Hurricane Camille that mirrored the harrowing accounts of Hurricane Katrina survivors. Virginia Reynolds remembers not only the physical devastation Hurricane Camille wrought on her community, but also the countless days following the storm that she was forced to stay cooped up at home because there were no safe places left to play in her neighborhood. Now decades later, living in Connecticut, the countless stories recounting the wrath of Hurricane Katrina rekindled those childhood memories. Virginia knew what she had to do, build a playground for the children living in Bay St. Louis.
At the time of her first interaction with KaBOOM!, Virginia had already started fundraising and rallying the community, including the Mayor and Parks Commissioner, to get the ball rolling on the playground project. Virginia knew that this was only the beginning, and she wanted to gather all the knowledge, resources and tools offered by KaBOOM! to help her bring this playground and community to life. So without any hesitation, Virginia registered for U Play!, received the KaBOOM! Toolkit and read about the numerous resources KaBOOM! offers to a community embarking on a community-build project.
Because of Virginia’s enthusiasm, KaBOOM! agreed to partner with the Bay St. Louis community, and have set a Build Day for December 17, 2005. After a very emotional Design Day in October, KaBOOM! Project Manager Jane Duket stated, “It was heartbreaking to see the area as it was; debris was everywhere and houses completely condemned. This has all been said on the news but as you can imagine, it’s much different actually seeing an area completely destroyed.” Overall Jane’s feelings capture the excitement KaBOOM! is feeling about the opportunity to work directly with the hurricane survivors, “This project is going to give the city a great deal of hope and I can’t wait to start planning!”