Smiles, giggles, and expressions of pure joy were on the faces of the children at Our Lady of Mount Carmel School last year when they saw their new playground for the first time. Their school had waited over 90 years for a playground! Today they climb, play, and explore safely with their friends and classmates during recess, after school, and all summer long.
Before we donated and built the playground for this inner city Asbury Park, NJ community, some of the students had only been to a playground once a year, while on a school trip. Once a year! We believe that all children should have the opportunity for safe and active play. So we have been donating playgrounds and programs since 2009. To date, we have built 21 playgrounds across the United States – primarily in the NY-NJ-CT tri-state area, and including five in Haiti, and one in Afghanistan. And we’ve got plans for more this year!
At our core Alexandra’s Playground is about two things – providing opportunities for children who wouldn’t otherwise have them, and positively impacting the world the way we know that Alexandra would have. One of the most beautiful ways these goals come together is when children reach out to make a difference for other children, just like the children who use Share Your Wish to celebrate their birthdays. And like the children in Asbury Park, NJ who were very grateful for their donated playground, so they raised money to help us to bring a playground to the next community. And the young girl in Paterson, NJ who learned first hand how we can all help each other – she was very thankful for the new Alexandra’s Playground at her school and said “I would do the same thing to help support and give someone something that they need”.
Share your Wish has made the generous offer to make a donation to Alexandra’s Playground in honor of every SYW Birthday Party that is booked during the month of February, no matter which month your party will be celebrated in. In honor of Alexandra’s birthday this month, we hope you will plan a Share Your Wish celebration.
Guest Blogger: Lori Hrbek, Executive Director of Alexandra's Playground