Kentucky by Heart: Random Acts of Kindness group unveils new playground at Blue Lick Elementary

By Steve Flairty
NKyTribune columnist

In a Kentucky by Heart column last year in March, I shared a story about the playground at Blue Lick Elementary School, in the southern part of Louisville, being grievously vandalized in October 2022.

It dealt a blow to the school’s regular educational process and, of course, upset many schoolchildren. But I also shared a noble story of how college student Andrew Dunn and his Louisville-based Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) group came on the scene to help energize the efforts to restore the playground.

Today, there’s happy news to report.

The school has its playground back, and it’s new and upgraded… to the tune of over $400,000 worth — and many hands made it happen. According to Beth Johnson, Family Resource Youth Service coordinator at the school, the fundraising was done in 30 days — insurance paid only $70,000 — with events such as candy bar sales, community donors, the school, and the school district.

And the RAK group’s part?

“Andrew Dunn and RAK Louisville are known for their service to others in our area,” Beth said. “They have been partners to Blue Lick on other projects, so it was no surprise that they offered to join us on this playground building project. They, along with community partner Jon McCallon, worked to build the momentum of donations through local media and then RAK Louisville offered to manage those donations for us to make the process smoother for all parties. Their partnership and support have meant the world to our school and community.”

McCallon directs House Blend, a creative services outreach to churches. He worked closely with Dunn, now a student at the University of Cincinnati, and the project proved to be both difficult and illuminating. “It’s easily the most challenging I’ve ever been through to do that in such a short amount of time,” said McCallon. “But what I gained most from that is how many kinds of people it takes to bring a dream like that to life. From faith-based groups to community groups, and the Jefferson County Public Schools needs to get kudos because they    at the last hour, they really came through.”

The children at Blue Lick Elementary are now enjoying a greatly upgraded place to play.

“It’s ten-fold what they’ve had before,” McCallon said. “What they had before was so outdated and it speaks to (the fact) there are so many outdated things that kids are playing on these days that just haven’t been addressed.”

Despite being a busy college student almost two hours away, Dunn stayed closely involved with McCallon, often making trips back to Louisville to tend the project. The two made appearances on radio and used a wide range of social media to get out the word for playground funds. “He (Dunn) built relationships in the city for almost ten years, so his brand is trusted and that being an authentic thing that matters. I couldn’t have done it without his engagement,” said McCallan.

The school has about 550 students, with the majority on free or reduced-price lunches. About 30% are multi-language speakers, and many are new to the country. The community is not as well-advantaged as many other ones in Louisville. Besides the students at Blue Lick, McCallon noted that the project “serves its entire neighborhood and every time we do something good at an elementary school, the echoes of that good crosses well beyond the boundaries of the school . . . (putting) a vibe in the neighborhood that investment is happening, and this place matters.”

For more about Andrew Dunn’s Random Acts of Kindness group, visit raklouisville.com . For questions to Jon McCallon about the playground project, email him at Jonny@yourhouseblend.com .

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