Imagine Southeast Public Charter School in Congress Heights, one of the poorest areas in Washington, welcomed over 500 volunteers today (including Michelle Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan) to mobilize for a great cause: building a playground for local kids. KaBOOM!, the non-profit organization behind it all, has been constructing playgrounds in low-income areas for 15 years, helping to motivate communities to collaborate and improve their conditions:
“The process is really about moms and dads and neighbors coming together to do something significant for kids,” says Hammond. “And the kids, who are watching this take place, understand – maybe they don’t understand it immediately, but they understand it down the road, like I did – that people did something incredible for them. And they’ll remember that.”
-Lana Polansky