October 13, 2011 proved to be a day of great transformation in Albuquerque, N.M. as volunteers united at Ralph J. Bunche (RJB) Academy to build a beautiful new playground for children across the community. With a total of 185 people contributing their time, muscle and creativity, the playspace was completed in just five hours!

Aided by beautiful weather and lots of enormous enthusiasm, the team worked hard to assemble the children’s dream playground, which included a slither slide, swings, a cliff hanger, a drum panel, a spiral climber and other fun components. 

But these volunteers refused to settle for just providing the basic playground structure for this community’s children; they also completed number of additional projects across the school. These projects ranged from constructing picnic tables and game-tops to decorating recycle bins and cubbies. The space was also beautified with three raised garden beds and murals painted by all of the students.  Local television crews came by to witness the remarkable work that the volunteers were doing.

With so much to accomplish, the high energy and hard work of the volunteers allowed the project to be completed ahead of schedule! When the final pieces were in place, the team enjoyed the opportunity to step back and take in the transformation of the school. The entire group gathered together for the final ribbon cutting to celebrate what the volunteers had created and look ahead at the bright future of play for the area’s kids.

One of the most incredible aspects of this project was the way that so many people and groups remained involved from start to finish, attending Design Day, contributing to the planning process and finally getting their hands dirty to see it all the way through to completion. The RJB Academy faculty and parents, JobCorps, Habitat for Humanity and the County Commissioner were all heavily invested in the project. The great partnerships and relationships that developed will continue to strengthen the community and the support of these children.