Early on the morning of Oct. 3, volunteers began to arrive at the Ryan R-Center in Rochester’s Beechwood neighborhood. About 120 in total, they came ready to move three truckloads of mulch, mix five pallets of concrete, assemble playground elements and rebuild bleachers for the sports fields.
"It feels amazing," Nahmese Bacot, who lives near the playground, told WXXI during a pause in her work.
By 3:00 p.m., dignitaries were there to cut the ribbon!
“This playground is about more than just slides and swings,” said Deputy Mayor of Rochester, Michael Burns, at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “It’s about community, partnership, and it’s about creating spaces where kids can grow, thrive, and simply be kids.”
Building a playground in one day takes a lot of behind-the-scenes work. The process started at the beginning of the summer with a community design day at the Ryan Center where we listened to community members and youth as they told us what they wanted in their new playground. Swings and slides were top choices—features the old, outdated playground lacked. A community planning team made up of Ryan Center staff, Healthi Kids parents, Beechwood area residents, and City of Rochester employees, worked throughout the summer, reviewing draft playground designs and planning the build day.
Then, after one final, crucial step—letting the concrete set over the weekend—families enjoyed the new playground the following Monday.
When visiting the new playground recently, families were overjoyed by the beautiful new space, saying they didn’t use the old playground because of its poor condition and awkward location across the field from the rest of the center.
“Watching this playground come to life has been such a powerful reminder of what happens when a community comes together,” said Bacot, who was part of the entire planning process. “I’m proud to have been part of creating more than just swings and slides, but an upgraded space where our kids can laugh, play, and see that they belong.”
Generously funded through KABOOM!’s corporate partnership with Sierra, other funding came from the City of Rochester. This is the first of many, as Rochester is part of KABOOM!'s 25 in 5 initiative, which is working with 25 US cities for five years each. The goal is to eliminate play space inequity in each location so that all kids can have access to active and engaging play—an important contributor to a child’s overall health and well-being.
"Every kid deserves an outstanding place to play, and that means having a play space that's engaging, and includes equipment that is interesting for children of all ages," said Jesse Knoth, PlayROCs coordinator for Healthi Kids.
Over the next five years, look for more community builds and other investments in our play spaces as the project works to end play space inequities in our city.
“This playground carries the fingerprints of so many caring hands and the dreams of countless hearts,” said Healthi Kids Coalition member Jasmin Vega, who was part of the entire planning process. “To have been part of its build feels like leaving a small piece of my love in our community for generations to come.”