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KaBOOM! Want To Help Hayt Elementary Build a Park in a Day? Friday You Can

By Linze Rice | September 17, 2015 5:54am
 After months of planning, on Friday the Hayt Elementary School community will gather to bring their new KaBOOM! playground to fruition.
After months of planning, on Friday the Hayt Elementary School community will gather to bring their new KaBOOM! playground to fruition.
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KaBOOM!, Hayt Elementary School

EDGEWATER — After winning a KaBOOM! Playground Grant earlier this summer, Stephen K. Hayt Elementary School in Edgewater is about to see a brand new play area built — but the school needs the community's help to make it happen.

In June, Hayt got the news it was selected out of a pool of applicants for the grant, which required school leaders to raise $8,500 and round up 200 volunteers while KaBOOM! helped with the planning and building process. The majority of the funding comes from Discover Financial, who is partnered with KaBOOM!.

"Hayt was selected over other organizations because of our need and commitment on accomplishing the grant requirements," the school wrote on its website.

In an online message to parents and the neighborhood, Hayt officials said they were still looking for about 90 volunteers to help out Friday at the school's 1518 W. Granville Ave. location beginning at 8 a.m.

According to KaBOOM!'s website, on the day of the building, volunteers and project managers will convene at the site for a six-hour building marathon that will result in a brand new playground designed in part by Hayt students.

The new playground will have equipment showing off Hayt's school colors: red, white and blue.

"The new playground (replacing an old one) will provide a safe place to play and will accommodate a larger number of children, both students from Hayt and kids from the surrounding community," Ald. Harry Osterman (48th) said in an email to residents.

The new design will be accessible to students with disabilities by meeting requirements set forth by the Americans with Disabilities Act, have a reduced carbon footprint and offer new equipment like a "playdozer," tic-tac-toe wall, telescope, "cloudwalk" and more.

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