Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

Your neighborhood. Your News.

Milwaukee NNSnewsMilwaukee NNSSearch
Subscribe to NNS today!
Advertisement
  • Home
  • News
    • Arts and Recreation
    • Community
    • Economic Development
    • Education
    • Health and Wellness
    • Housing
    • Public Safety
    • NNS Spotlight
    • Special Report
  • Posts From Community
    • Submit a Story
  • Community Voices
  • How To
  • Multimedia
    • NNS Local Video
    • Photos
    • NNS on Lake Effect
    • NNS WGLB 1560 Radio
  • Subscribe
  • Donate
  • About
    • Staff
    • Partners
    • News 414
    • The neighborhoods we cover
  • News414
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

Diederich College of Communication, Marquette University


Language: English English Spanish Spanish

You are here: Home / Home / Carousel / Harambee residents ‘pull together’ to build new neighborhood playground

Harambee residents ‘pull together’ to build new neighborhood playground

September 26, 2014 by Raina J. Johnson Leave a Comment

Volunteers build a piece of playground equipment in Harambee. (Photo By Raina J. Johnson)

Volunteers build a piece of playground equipment in Harambee. (Photo By Raina J. Johnson)

Usually it takes six to eight months to plan, design and build a playground. But a collaborative effort among residents and organizations made the dream playground designs of about 17 kids from the neighborhood come true in about a month of planning. The building of the actual playground took close to three hours.

In mid-August, children and their parents were asked what their dream playground would look like. The results were compiled and designers got to work.

Volunteer Kristy Currie an associate from CarMax helps build a piece of playground equipment. (Photo By Raina J. Johnson)

Volunteer Kristy Currie, an associate from CarMax, helps build a piece of playground equipment. (Photo By Raina J. Johnson)

And on a recent Thursday morning, more than 100 residents and volunteers went to 117 E. Keefe Ave. to rebuild the rundown Harambee Tot Lot.

“When I saw them (City of Milwaukee) tear down the old (playground), I was shocked because I watched kids play over there. I called my alderwoman, Milele Coggs, and she kindly called my house and told me that they were building a new one. Then I was excited,” said one 40-year resident of the neighborhood who declined to give her name.



The Harambee Great Neighborhood Initiative, RiverWorks Development Corporation, and the Milwaukee Police Department are working to keep the Keefe Avenue Corridor in a condition that “improves the quality of life and atmosphere,” said Adrian Spencer, a Harambee resident and community support specialist for RiverWorks.

Other improvements have included additional lighting and volunteer block captains. Community pressure shut down a nearby nuisance bar that had been the subject of resident complaints.

“There was a need for a playground in this neighborhood and this aligns with our mission, which is to promote education, youth leadership and wellness in the communities where our associates live and work,” said Leslie Parpart, manager of the CarMax Foundation.

Based in Richmond, Va., the foundation is on track to build 30 playgrounds across the country in the next three years. The Harambee Tot Lot is its 13th build so far.

Brittany Powell, a volunteer and CarMax employee, said she spent a considerable amount of time at the old playground as a kid, since her aunt owns a home in Harambee. She said she thinks it’s great that people from different states came to build a playground for the youth.

The word “Harambee” is Swahili and means “all pull together.” Community members and organizers hope the collaborative effort to build the playground is just the beginning of “great things to come” and a way “to keep the momentum moving to effect change,” said Spencer.

Filed Under: Carousel, Community, Harambee, Home, Neighborhoods, News, North Tagged With: harambee, playground, recreation

About Raina J. Johnson

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement

Recent News

5 things to know and do the weekend of Sept. 22

Wisconsin’s Black infants have some of the country’s highest mortality rates. These solutions could help.

PHOTOS: 2023 UMOS Mexican Independence Parade and Festival

Advertisement
Give today to support our mission. Donate to Milwaukee NNS.
Advertisement

News

  • Arts and Recreation
  • Economic Development
  • Education
  • Health and Wellness
  • Housing
  • Public Safety
  • NNS Spotlight
  • Special Reports

Engage with us

  • Posts from Community
  • Community Voices
  • Submit a Story

About NNS

  • Milwaukee NNS Staff
  • Partners
  • News414
  • The neighborhoods we cover
  • Careers
  • Terms of use
  • Advertise

Connect with us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS feed

Communities

Contact

mailing address
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Diederich College of Communication
Marquette University
1131 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Johnston Hall 430
Milwaukee, WI 53233

email
info@milwaukeenns.org

phone & fax
PHONE: 414.604.6397 FAX: 414.288.6494


Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service is a project of Diederich College of Communication and Marquette University.
© 2020 Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. Terms of use.
1131 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee WI 53233 • info@milwaukeenns.org

Copyright © 2023 · News Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in