Earlier this year, the Mack Road area of Sacramento opened a new community center. Today, volunteers worked in spite of the weather to build a new playground on the site.
Jonathan Salas was one of 200 volunteers working through the rain and slipping on the mud to help build half a dozen play structures. He lives about a block and a half away.
"We're community. So, we got to grow instead of separate. With a lot of stuff that's going on in life, we need to get closer, not further away."
A slide, climbing wall, and planters are all now in an area behind the community center, which is a converted house.
Kristina Ricci with the United Way says the money for the playground came by way of two non-profit organizations.
"We went through an application process and Kaboom! and the CarMax Foundation chose Sacramento to come and do this build and we're really grateful for their support."
Kaboom! is a non-profit with the goal of giving children across the country more places to play. CarMax is working with Kaboom! and has pledged $4.1 million to build 30 new playgrounds throughout the U.S.
Volunteer Joseph Ramos helped pour five tons of concrete and move 135 cubic yards of mulch at the playground on Center Parkway.
"I was looking through the United Way's website,"says Ramos. "I saw the opportunity through that. I saw it on Facebook and it just kind of stuck out enough, that I kind of had to click on it eventually and take a look at it. It was a great way to spend my day."
The playground is between the community center and the new basketball courts -donated last month by the Sacramento Kings and Kaiser Permanente.
Jenna Abbott with the Mack Road Partnership sees the effects of help from generous benefactors.
"Over the years, Mack Road and the Valley Hi community has been known as a community that has struggled with a lot of crime and generational welfare," Abbott says. "With the changes that are starting to happen here, we're seeing this community really start to come out and support itself and be proud of where they live and that's really fun to watch."
Neighborhood kids will be able to use the playground in about three days, after the concrete has cured.
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