Thanks to the efforts of hundreds of volunteers, children at Diamond Community School have a great place to play.
Representatives from Harris Corporation, the Orlando Magic, Diamond Community School and residents of the Palm Bay community will join children in celebrating the opening of the first KaBOOM! playground in Brevard County on Monday, Nov. 29 at 5 p.m. Orlando Magic players, the Orlando Magic Dancers and Magic mascot STUFF will join children from the area for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open the playground.
The playground was built on November 19 by hundreds of volunteers from Harris Corporation, the Orlando Magic and Diamond Community School under the guidance of non-profit KaBOOM! and is based on drawings created by children who participated in a Design Day event in September.
“This new playground exemplifies the benefits of business and education working together to ensure that all children are given an opportunity to reach their full potential in a well-rounded environment that includes playtime,” said Howard L. Lance, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Harris. “We are delighted to be teamed with the Orlando Magic, Diamond Community School and KaBOOM! in support of this great program.”
“The Orlando Magic is thrilled to partner with Harris and KaBOOM! to build another playground for a very deserving school like Diamond Community School,” said Orlando Magic President Alex Martins. “We look forward to the opening day and most importantly the impact this playground will have on the children for many years to come.”
Diamond Community School, Inc. exists for the purpose of providing educational services for all children in grades K-12 with a specialized interest in children who are at risk for school failure due to learning disabilities, academic delays and social- economic challenges. The organization is a non-profit entity committed to providing an educational safety net for children to enable them to become productive, viable and self-sufficient contributors in society. Previously, the children who attended Diamond Community School only had old, out-dated equipment, which was removed to make way for the new playground.
Dr. Doreatha Fields, founder of Diamond Community School, Inc., said the playground is a major advantage to the community and children in the Palm Bay area. The equipment will be all-inclusive for children, regardless of their physical abilities. The project design is comprised of major input from the children that includes playground equipment for youths who have handicaps.
“We express our extreme gratitude to the Harris Corporation and the Orlando Magic for selecting the Diamond Community School to be the recipient of this fantastic playground opportunity for the children and the community,” said Fields. “Most importantly, the children in the community, many of whom are from low income and low socio-economic standards, will now have an opportunity to be engaged in recreational activities. These events may serve as the bridge to many of their comforts within their communities as they’ve struggled with economic concerns. I believe that the families will benefit greatly. This playground will be one of the major advantages to the community and to the children that are served in the Palm Bay area.”
Planning for the playground began at the Design Day event in September, when local children and community leaders met with Harris Corporation, the Orlando Magic and organizers from KaBOOM! to design their dream playground. The children’s drawings were then used to create the final playground design. The project is one of more than 180 playground builds KaBOOM! will lead across the country in 2010 in an effort to provide a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America.
