I drew caricatures today at a Playground Building event. I was glad to have been able to do caricatures for some of the volunteers.
I drew a couple that I recognized from somewhere and after much head scratching we figured out that we’d met last weekend at a U of A Parent Orientation and actually chatted and had lunch together there! Another lady I talked to remembered me from when I first started drawing caricatures at West Edmonton Mall about 25 years ago! She talked about a caricature I’d done of her aunt who has since passed away and how much her aunt loved the drawing. I commented that I’m sure that I could do a better job now. Her reply was, “Oh I don’t know, she just loved it!”
And of course there are all the new people I met today, including this cute little boy! He was awesome ... he held that smile for me the whole time. And then there were these three young men who are doing mission work doing good deeds where ever they go. Like volunteering to build this playground today. Two of them were from different states in the United States and one was from Mongolia! I’m so glad I was able to give them this little keepsake of the time they’ve spent together doing good things in this world. Safe travels and all the best to you guys!
The project was a project with Foresters KaBOOM. Here is a little information about KaBoom!:
KaBOOM! is a non-profit organization that envisions a great place to play within walking distance of every child. By partnering with KaBOOM!, Foresters is able to make a direct, positive impact on children and their families by both financially supporting and participating in playground builds.
According to a research study commissioned by Foresters and KaBOOM! and conducted by Harris Interactive in January 2011, time spent at a community playground is valuable to families, with 77% of parents agreeing that spending more time at a playground increases a family’s sense of well-being.
That’s why Foresters have invested more than $7 million dollars with KaBOOM!. Together we have built or planned nearly 100 playgrounds across North America since 2006, which will eventually give more than 2.6 million children and their families a safe, happy place to play.
But Foresters didn’t do it alone.
More than 2500 Foresters members have volunteered at playground builds since 2006 - rolling up their sleeves, mixing concrete, shovelling mulch and assembling play equipment - all in an effort to build wonderful play spaces in just a single day.
I can attest to this. I was so impressed by all the volunteers eager to give their time and energy today to build the playground at Brittany Lane. It was really well organized with water stations, food tents, port-a-potties and even a shuttle bus to bring all the volunteers to the site.
Here is a little bit about Brittany Lane Housing Co-Operative:
Brittany Lane is a 58 unit non-profit housing co-
2012 marks the United Nations International Year of Co-operative(IYC) and Brittany Lane Housing Co-ops 20th Anniversary. Building a much-needed new playground and gathering space together with the help of their members and the community at large is a phenomenal IYC legacy project.
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| a boy holds up his caricature |
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| a group of international Volunteers |
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