A community in New Haven came together to honor the life of a longtime volunteer by building a playground in just two days.
Friday, on what would have been Kathy Carroll’s sixty-fourth birthday, family and friends celebrated her life by finishing a playground that took just two days to build.
“For me, it is a dream come true, a celebration of life,” Rev. Bonita Grubbs, the executive director of Christian Community Action, tells us.
The bright and colorful playground at Christian Community Action is one of few places for neighborhood children to play and Kathy was a Christian Community Action volunteer for decades.
“I think it was over thirty years or something that she was working with Christian Community Action,” Kate Chivian, the daughter of Kathy Carroll, noted.
A clinical scientist at Yale, Dr. Carroll leaves behind a lasting legacy to those who knew her.
“A love for children is the simple way that I can explain it and a love for doing good in the world, making a difference,” said Grubbs.
“She changed this community and her legacy is the support of the disadvantaged and the homeless, and we thought what a great fit it would be to come here,” Bill Lavin of the Where Angels Play Foundation stated.
Kathy’s is the sixty-first “Where Angels Play” playground, an organization that builds the playscapes in memory of loved ones.
Jersey Mike’s helped with the financial support. It’s their third time working together.
“These playgrounds have a special feeling to them when you’re on them. You can kind of sense that,” Chad Faulkner, area director of Jersey Mike’s Subs, said.
Kathy’s daughter, Kate, helped design it and says Christian Community Action was perfect for the children that live here and for the surrounding neighborhood.
“It’s amazing to have a playground for the community. There are so many kids around here,” Chivian says.
Friends and family hope that this gift in Kathy’s honor will give back for years to come.
The tape came down Saturday, making the playground officially open for all to use.
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