A Saturday spent building a playground serves as an opportunity to help build community.

This past weekend I was afforded the opportunity to participate in a playground build with KaBoom!. If you aren't familiar with KaBoom!, they are a non-profit whose goal is to increase access and opportunity to play, particularly in disadvantaged communities.

While their primary work is rooted in organizing community built playgrounds they have emerged as the leader in advocacy for play for all children.

Research, partnerships, and advocacy have allowed them to create and influence the conversation on how essential play is to the mental and physical health of children.

Being my first playground build experience I wasn't quite sure what to expect.

The morning started with high energy almost immediately.

Enthusiastic speakers, music thumping, and a little warm up that got us all moving all encompassed by a positive energy despite the gloomy weather.

We were even graced with a rainbow prior to starting our work.

We split into our teams and with no hesitation everyone jumped right into the task at hand.

We had six hours to complete the build, and given everyone's enthusiasm it was easy to see that making this timeline wouldn't be a challenge.

And for the next six hours we moved mulch, mixed and poured concrete and cheered each other on, in a fluid and well-orchestrated manner. Hour by hour one could see the site coming together.

Another piece of the playground was erected, trees were planted, and mulch and concrete piles diminished.

And while the children would have to wait another day for the concrete to set before they could play, they mixed and mingled with us, providing a constant reminder of what brought us all together.

Physically the work was exhausting, and undoubtedly the process could be expedited through the use of machinery.

But the beauty and the power of the process that KaBoom! has created, through physical labor, results in an enhanced sense of community and pride that comes with the work.

Throwing in a concrete mixer or a Bobcat to move mulch would be an additional layer of detachment from the process and the purpose.

Constructing the playground isn't simply about providing a place to play for kids. It is about the rallying of a community behind a common goal that improves and enhances that community.

While legs became sore and arms began to feel like rubber, the purpose of enhancing the community pushed you to dig deeper and to work harder.

And with that comes the awareness, for both the participants as well as who we were building for, that the playground wasn't a gift that was delivered over night.

Rather it was something we all put everything we had into, to improve a community through work and pride.

For our build the weather was less than perfect. We started in a heavy rain with strong winds, and had a few more showers pass through.

And despite being wet, sore, and a bit tired you heard no grumblings from anyone. Work progressed with no delay and no shortage of smiles.

Trees were planted, mulch was moved, concrete was mixed, and a playground was built by those young and old.

We may have all had teams and tasks we were assigned to but everyone's work encompassed a multitude of elements and put people shoulder to shoulder that wouldn't typically exist in all too many settings. 

In addition to our work there were interesting conversations to be had from all reaches of the site.

Conversations on community service, enhancing opportunities for children, and creating stronger communities could be found everywhere.

Some questioned where more playgrounds could be built within the region, and which communities were in need.

We discussed how play can enhance quality of life and community and how public service and volunteerism can play a role.

There were also several people who were concerned about how families will fit into our rapidly growing and changing cities.

Issues that revolved around quality of life, talent retention, and the quality of our schools.

Fortunately I also had the opportunity to speak with Darell Hammond, founder of KaBoom!, and was able to learn about new ideas they are pursuing that are not only exciting but will quantify and assess our missed opportunities for play.

Additional evidence that KaBoom! isn't simply satisfied with working to provide playspaces, but is constantly seeking to effectively resolve insufficient access and opportunities for play.

Following these conversations I was left encouraged and excited about addressing needs for play in our cities, and hope to have the opportunity to further engage with KaBoom! as they continue to advance their work and advocacy.

The playground build left me a bit sore and banged up, but it also left me inspired and wanting to do more.

Most importantly it left me with a sense of pride having been involved with such a great community building experience.

If an opportunity arises in your community to participate in a KaBoom! playground build, do not miss out as it is a rewarding and fun experience with a unique and exciting organization.