Heidi Marchesotti, Highland Partners Real Estate and Ruth Stroup Insurance Agency are sponsoring a play ground clean-up and paint at Hillcrest school with the proceeds going to support Playworks coaches in local low-income elementary schools.
The Hillcrest community has a history of community engagement through the Hillcrest Helps Out campaign. As a matter of fact, on October 22, the day before their playground clean-up, Hillcrest families will be helping Fruitvale Elementary school move and restage their library. On Sunday, through the generous support of these two civic minded business leaders, Hillcrest is literally raising money to support Playworks coaches at 32 low-income schools while they paint their own playground. It’s a win for everyone!
The Hillcrest community appreciates the critical importance of safe, inclusive play so much so that they recently used PTA funds to hire a fully trained Ex-Playworks coach to facilitate Playworks-like inclusive active recesses and class game times for all grades.
A brightly painted playground is not only more engaging but it is safer. Playworks’ expert play coaches strategically map out the playground to make sure, for example, that ball games aren’t running through the areas kids like to jump rope. In this way, kids feel safer and there is less conflict. When kids understand where to play each game and they can clearly see the zones and lines – there is less stress and less fighting over if a ball is “in” or “out”.
The day starts with classic Playworks warm-up games that help volunteers can get to know each other and reminds them why play is so critically important to kids’ social and physical development. Next, we hand out the brooms for a massive sweep and clean-up. After that, we tape the lines and finally we grab the brushes, rollers and line painters and start painting. It will take about 5 hours and 80 gallons of paint to transform an average urban playground from grey and gravelly to bright and engaging!
At the end of the day the kids will have a new playground and the volunteers and sponsors will have satisfied grins and sore muscles!
Check out the entire playground's transformation on our Facebook
