From the Ground Up

FROM THE GROUND UP 200 community volunteers united to build a new playground at Gassaway park with the help ofKaBoom!, a non-profit organization that helps municipalities build community-influenced play areas. On Sept. 21, the City ofTyler Parks and Recreation Department, Tyler firefighters, councilmembers, City staff, volunteers from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, and community volunteers joined KaBOOM! at Gassaway Park to transform an empty site into a kid-designed, state-of-the-art playground in just six hours. Previously, Gassaway Park was in a hidden area downhill from the neighborhoods, making it inconvenient and not safe for families and kids. The community expressed their desire to see a gathering space at the top ofthe hill that is welcoming for kids and can be better utilized.

Just months before the Community Build Day, kids from the surrounding communities of the forgotten Gassaway Park came together to draw their dream playground. The playground was constructed based on their drawings. It provided thousands ofkids in Tyler with a great, safe place to play over its lifetime.

“Play is essential to physical, creative, cognitive, social and emotional development,” said KaBOOM! Project Manager Hunter Stevens. Through this playground project, City ofTyler worked alongside with Blue Cross and Blue Shield ofTexas and KaBOOM! to make a difference in their community and address the most urgent needs ofkids putting kids first by increasing opportunities to play in Tyler.