The following was written by my friend and neighbor, Kathleen, who responded to a posting that I put in our community listserv asking for help with a playground project in a challenged neighborhood. I was totally inspired by what she wrote and in honor of National Volunteer Week, I wanted to share it with all of you:
“When I saw the request on the listserv seeking volunteers to help revitalize the Lane Street playground, I was truly compelled to spend a little bit of my time helping the community. I decided that I could contribute at least an hour’s work that morning. Never mind that family and friends were arriving that day from Dublin and London for the U2 show and there was no shortage of things I needed to get done that Thursday morning. Never mind that I was six months pregnant. Let’s just say that I was optimistic that I could be of some help.
So, off I went.
I arrived at the site – a mere two blocks east of the Oakwood boundary – to what could only be described as a sea of people and the best music I’ve heard since my clubbing days. There were Park District staff, Home Depot volunteers, staff from Marbles, community members: it was a truly impressive mix.
I checked in and was assigned to a group of folks building cubbies for the Tarboro Road Community Center which is affiliated with the park. I couldn’t help but wonder if someone from the Oakwood Garden Club had called ahead and warned them to keep me away from the plants. At any rate, the cubbies were an important contribution as they would serve as a safe place for kids to store their belongings before utilizing the park amenities.
My group was run by three very clever Home Depot fellas who were both personable and focused. Together we cut, nailed, drilled and created. All around me things were happening, and fast. The chain link fence enclosed us in the basketball court, the play equipment was being assembled and the plantings were safely in the ground. These people were closers!
It was only when the lunch table was being assembled that I had realized I needed to get moving onto other less interesting chores before I collected my son from preschool. I hadn’t noticed that nearly two and a half hours had passed. And as I left, I felt more than optimistic. I felt grateful. I was grateful for the opportunity to help the community, grateful for the chance to meet some interesting and socially-aware people and grateful for the diversion of daily activities.
Now as I pass by the playground I feel personally invested, and I am reminded of that Chinese Proverb: One generation plants the trees, another gets the shade. Here’s hoping the playground provides shade to many for years to come.”
Kathleen
