New playground excites South Lumberton community

LUMBERTON — Children cheered with excitement as they played on the newly built playspace near Lumberton Junior High School which was the result of community collaboration and a shared vision for accessible play areas.

“The collaboration between the Public Schools of Robeson County, CONNECT Community Inc., KABOOM and Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust shows what can be achieved when organizations come together for a common cause. It’s through these partnerships that we can truly make a difference in the lives of our community members,” said PSRC Chief Communications Officer Jessica Sealey.

“Together, we can create a brighter future for generations to come!” she added.

In May, more than 80 volunteers including individual community members and leaders as well as community clubs, organizations, and agencies came together over the course of three days to build the playspace.

“This playground is a space in the community where children will create healthy habits, make memories with their families, and ignite creativity and joy,” said Kewanda Merritt, Executive Director of CONNECT Community Inc.

Community members like Robyn Floyd are grateful for the new playground.

“Having a community playground without the need to drive across town to play significantly improves the quality of life for every single child in the neighborhood. Playgrounds indicate growth, innocence, innovation, joy, and laughter. Not to mention, a playground shows an investment in today’s young people,” Floyd said.

Ribbon-cutting ceremony

The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the playspace was held on May 4 at the site near Lumberton Junior High School.

The playspace includes a slide, monkey bars, swings, a sensory area and more for community members to enjoy.

Timeline

Community members led the creation of the playspace, from design to installation. In February, children from South Lumberton shared drawings of their dream playspaces with project organizers. These ideas were integrated into the new playspace design. This project represents progress in ensuring every kid has a place to play, providing a state-of-the-art playspace for more than 200 children to enjoy each year.

In the summer of 2023, the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust approached CONNECT Community, Inc. to partner with them to bring a public playspace to South Lumberton.

The South Lumberton area was an ideal location for the playspace since a survey of the area by CONNECT Community Inc. indicated there were no playgrounds from the 2300 Block of MLK Jr. Drive south to where Lumberton city limits end. Building a playspace in this area of South Lumberton allows 200+ children ages 5-12 access to a playspace they can walk to from their home.

After the design stage, CONNECT Community Inc. gathered a team of community members and leaders to form the planning committee that managed specific aspects of the project, such as construction, logistics, fundraising, and media engagement.

Healthy Places NC initiative

The project is part of the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust’s Healthy Places NC initiative, which began as a $100 million 10-year effort focused on 10 rural counties. The work has expanded regionally, with a special focus on Eastern North Carolina. Healthy Places NC invests in the power and capacity of rural residents to address the health issues impacting their communities and to advocate for systems change at the local, regional, and state levels.

“As part of the Trust’s Healthy Places NC work to improve the health of vibrant, yet under-resourced rural communities, we have focused on the issues communities tell us are critical to them, including equitable access to recreation,” said Dr. Laura Gerald, President, Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust. “This KABOOM! playground is one of many we have invested in across North Carolina to ensure children have a safe place to play and be active. Because Lumberton is my hometown, this one holds a special place for me, and I am thrilled to see the work underway to help Robeson County thrive.”

The KABOOM! vision

KABOOM! envisions a world where safe and amazing places to play exist for every child in America so that kids can grow up happy and healthy.

This new playspace with Public Schools of Robeson County, CONNECT Community Inc., and Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust is part of a nationwide effort led by KABOOM! to end playspace inequity – the reality that far too many children – especially children of color – do not get the chance to play on a playground, something that should be part of every child’s life. Their work is to ensure every kid can experience the numerous physical, social, and mental health benefits of play regardless of background or where they live.

In 2022, KABOOM! launched the 25 in 5 Initiative to End Playspace Inequity, the five-year plan to accelerate efforts towards achieving their mission to end playspace inequity for good across the United States.

To learn how partners can join KABOOM! in their efforts to end playspace inequity, visit kaboom.org/25-in-5.