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thedrifter
04-06-07, 03:34 PM
MFR Marines work so others may play
Lance Cpl. Frans E. Labranche

SLIDELL, La. – (April 6, 2007) -- A small team of Marines from Marine Forces Reserve volunteered their time to bring a playground to Abney Elementary School here April 5.

The Marines, lead by Dennis Stegall, himself a retired Marine officer, teamed up with KaBOOM!, a non-profit organization whose goal is to build a place to play within walking distance of every child in America, to build a large playground on the school’s campus.

Starting at 8 a.m., the Marines and volunteers from the local community started with an unprepared piece of land and finished six hours later with a playground any child could love.

“The Parent-Teacher Association at the school asked about a new playground,” said Stegall, the MarForRes comptroller deputy director. “My son goes to school here, so I was familiar with the community and familiar with the needs of the community and got in touch with the KaBOOM! people.”

Complete with slides, teeter-totters, a climbing dome, climbing walls and other fun-friendly obstacles, the play place was ready almost three hours earlier than predicted.

“The Marines came out here and worked hard,” said Justin Fitzgerald, project manager for KaBOOM! “We really couldn’t have completed this project this early without their help and leadership in finding volunteers in the community and donating their time to this cause.”

The nearly 3,500 square-foot play area was received well by the school and local residents.

“We can’t thank the Marines and volunteers enough,” said Kathleen Katsorchis, president of Abney Elementary. “Research shows that children who play hard, work hard. The volunteers have built a great playground for the school and the children in the neighborhood that are still in FEMA trailers.”

The build was a part of KaBOOM!’s Operation Playground, a campaign to build 100 playgrounds for 100 places on the Gulf Coast affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

“The organization realizes that a lot of play areas were destroyed by the storms and that communities want to help each other,” said Fitzgerald. “The amount of military community volunteers down here is higher than everywhere else, and that truly affects the outcome of each project.”

Marines have been busy volunteering time to rebuild communities and help wherever they can.

“This (the gulf coast) isn’t the home of many MarForRes Marines, but they are intent on helping anyone in need,” said Stegall.

Ellie