By Rachael Moore
If you had the choice, what would your dream playground look like?
Tree swings and water slides are on wish lists at the Morristown Neighborhood House, where 98 preschoolers braved the heat Tuesday to draw the blueprint for their next playground.
It’s part of a program sponsored by MetLife and KaBOOM! They are contributing funds for a playground to be built with help from 200 volunteers on Saturday, Sept. 7.
Children are part of the planning team, said Mavel Jones, MetLife manager of employee engagement.
“I think it’s a fantastic opportunity for the kids. It’s great to see them play a part in the process,” said MetLife’s Nandika Madgavkar. “It’s important that they are making a contribution. We will definitely utilize their designs.”
MetLife has partnered with KaBOOM! –a national nonprofit established by social entrepreneur Darrell Hammond— to build more than a dozen playgrounds across the United States and in Mexico City, Mexico.
Four out of five kids don’t have easy access to a playground, a situation these organizations are trying to change, said MetLife’s Glenn Buono.
Photos by Rachael Moore. Please click icon below for captions.
“It’s amazing that KaBOOM! has committed to giving the kids a playground within walking distance of their homes,” he said.
KaBOOM! has built more than 2,300 playgrounds since 1996.
“In my dream playground, I want to have a slide, a tree swing, monkey bars, a horse and swings,” said Neighborhood House pre-schooler Marely O.
Three-year-old Kadin Hackett wants a small house in his dream playground. “I want to put my toys inside,” he said.
During the design day at the Nabe, the preschoolers also got to hang out with a life-sized Snoopy. With the fluffy dog by their side, the kids let their imaginations run wild. They looked like they could hardly wait until September to see their designs take shape.
Founded in 1898 to help Italian immigrants assimilate, the Neighborhood House today serves about 1,500 children daily with programs in Morristown, Morris Township, Denville and Dover. The nonprofit became a subsidiary of Cornerstone Family Programs this year.
Rachael Moore of Morris Township is majoring in communications at Adelphi University, where she will be a senior this fall.
Love this!! What a fun day for the kids!