[StBernard] Community Playground Update #2

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard Community Playground
RE-Boot, RE-Pair and RE-Build
April 8-13, 2008 Update #2
 
Design Day brought elementary students from Lynn Oaks, Gauthier and Andrew
Jackson together on the morning of January 29 to dream, draw and build
excitement for the rebuilding of our community playground in Torres Park.
Parents, students, community members and government leaders joined committee
members in the Chalmette High cafeteria that evening for an unveiling of the
new design.  The playground design drawn by John Dean of Leathers, Inc.
provides for repairs to the surviving structures and for several additional
structures with accessible interactive play pieces for children of all
abilities as well as a giant tree fort.
 
Repairs to the amphitheater stage and 250 person seating area are also
included in the April project.  This will enable the summer programming
originally planned in 2005 to be re-established for the 2008 summer season.
Musical, theatrical and cultural performances will be available for St.
Bernard children and their families at no cost.  Corporate sponsorship of
puppet shows, magic shows, concerts and plays will make this possible.
 
St. Bernard Community Playground Committee members recently received a
specific list of materials and tools needed for the build.  They have begun
the volunteer job of quickly gathering necessary items.  The parish
president, council members and government workers continue to facilitate the
removal of trailers in Torres Park. Sheriff's Office trusties will tear out
burned sections and load them into SDT dumpsters this week.  Community
involvement is now being solicited as a vital component of the project.
 
With less than two months to the April 8-13 Build Week, here is how you can
join this rekindled community effort:
.         Volunteer your time in April by contacting Volunteer Coordinator,
Lauren Faust at 278-4234 or at communityplaygroundproject at yahoo.com.  Please
provide your name, phone number and e-mail address.
.         Volunteer to provide or serve food for volunteers by contacting
Food Coordinators, Gidget McDougall and Claudette Ponstein at 278-4242.
Lunch and dinner will be served each day of the build. 
.         Network with your neighbors, office workers or bosses to recruit
volunteers, food, materials and tools.  (We need 500 volunteers confirmed by
March 5.)
.         Purchase a $10 reBOOT-repair-rebuild t-shirt designed by Chalmette
High's art teacher, Kevin Loria.  An order form will be available next week.
.         Purchase a $25 picket with your child's name or family name.
Approximately 400 new pickets will be added.  (Original pickets will
remain.)  An order form will be available next week.
.         Make a donation to the project at St. Bernard Community Playground
Project, P.O. Box 1632, Chalmette, LA 70044.  Donations are tax deductible.
 
Direct questions to Polly Boudreaux at pboudreaux5 at yahoo.com or by calling
554-7134.