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Save the Children and Partners Build Playground for Gulf Coast Children
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After a long day of work, the playground is complete! Young Aaliyah Essence (right) joins the playground build partners in a ribbon cutting ceremony. |
Plaquemines Parish, La. (April 21, 2007) — The children of Diamond FEMA Park south of New Orleans in Plaquemines Parish have a brand new playground thanks to a joint effort by Save the Children, KaBOOM, Project Rebuild Plaquemines, the Plaquemines Parish government and community volunteers.
The Plaquemines Parish community is still struggling to rebuild following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and children in the community, which is home to the Diamond FEMA transitional park, have few safe places to play.
That changed today when approximately 160 local and non-profit volunteers came together to build a new universally accessible playground in Diamond park. The playground was designed by children in Plaquemines Parish, who participated in a recent design day, drawing pictures of the features they wanted their new playground to include.
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Ashlen Miller makes a mosaic tile, which was used to decorate the new playground. |
Save the Children, which helped host the design day and playground build, has been working across the Gulf Coast since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The agency has helped to repair and resupply schools and child care facilities, and provide emotional-support programs for children who experienced the storm.
Through its Safe and Protective Communities Project, Save the Children has been working in Diamond Park to provide safe spaces for the children who live there, as well as positive activities and additional support for park residents.
"Every child deserves to have a fun and safe place to play," said Mark Shriver, Vice President and Managing Director for U.S. Programs at Save the Children. "But Hurricanes Katrina and Rita destroyed homes and playgrounds alike. Save the Children was proud to join our non-profit partners and community volunteers to bring this new playground to the Plaquemines Parish children who have lost so much."
Learn more about how we are helping in the Gulf Coast.
