Playground Makeover by Leadership Greater Little Rock Group

This month, a group from Leadership Greater Little Rock gave the WCF playground a makeover! Traci Byrd led the nine-member team that included David Gardner, Mario Hilliard, Marion King, Stephen Lane, Kevin Messick, Kristen Nicholson, Amanda Richardson, and Chris White. They are all part of LGLR Class XXXI. As part of program, they needed to complete a project with a local non-profit. Traci is a longtime friend of former guest DJ Williams, so she suggested WCF as the non-profit for her group.
The group wanted to do something that would create an immediate impact and fill a real need for WCF. As the “before” pictures of the playground show, it has been some time since the playground saw a renovation. WCF serves hundreds of children each year, and the playground is one of the few places in the shelter for them to play, relax, and have a break from the reality of living in a shelter. The group power-washed the playground structure, updated the structure to improve the safety, gave the bars a fresh coat of paint, and laid mulch around it. The playground is not only safer, but it is bright and inviting for the kids at the shelter – just in time for summer!
The group didn’t stop with just the playground. They hosted a bar-b-que for all of the guests at the shelter, as well as the community housing guests. Additionally, they provided new summer clothes and shoes for each of the children in the shelter.
WCF is so grateful for community partners like LGLR. We are continually blown away by the generosity that our community shows us. Thank you Traci, David, Mario, Marion, Stephen, Kevin, Kristen, Amanda, and Chris for going above and beyond to create a safe place for kids to be kids, even in the midst of whatever situation brings them through our doors.