Hundreds of volunteers band together to build playground in Kansas City’s Hyde Park

Brandon Barnhart examined a yellow handle and compared it to the directions to make sure he had the correct pieces for the slide he and his teammates were assembling.

“All the pieces are numbered, so it’s really intuitive,” Barnhart said. “It fits like a glove. It’s just like putting puzzle pieces together.”

Barnhart, who works for CarMax in Merriam, was among 200 volunteers who spent several hours Wednesday building the playground in Hyde Park at 3790 Gillham Road in Kansas City’s midtown area. They met the goal of having the playground completed by midafternoon.

Volunteers from CarMax, Cornerstones of Care and Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department joined forces to create a playground that just weeks earlier children helped design. The national nonprofit KaBoom, which is dedicated to providing kids — particularly those in poverty-stricken areas — a safe place to play, organized the volunteers.

The playground is geared for children between 2 and 5 years old.

The work, however, was more significant than just building a playground, said Terry Rynard, deputy director of the Kansas City parks department.

“It’s an opportunity to build a community — to build a focal point,” she said. “This is a very active neighborhood, but this gives them a reason to come together in an informal way to just get to know each other, to play, to laugh and to build an even stronger sense of community.”

In addition to the playground, volunteers restored some of the landscaping to its original design. It’s an example of how a play element or amenity can be added to a historic park without conflicting with its historic integrity, Rynard said.

“It’s a good example of what people can do for the good of the community when they have a cause to rally around,” Rynard said. “And who doesn’t like a playground?”

Leslie Parpart, director of community relations for the CarMax Foundation, said the amount of work that can be completed in a day is really inspiring.

“In a couple days, kids will be laughing and playing here and flexing their muscles and brains,” Parpart said.

Imani Jackson, project manager for KaBoom, said designers met with children eight weeks ago to ask them what they would like to see in their playground.

“Who knows play better than kids,” Jackson said.

And boy did the kids have ideas — three slides, seven swings, a swimming pool even. Although some things just couldn’t be provided, designers tried to get close to what the children indicated they wanted.

“Being a kid shouldn’t be a luxury — it’s a real necessity,” Jackson said. “Much like food deserts, there are plenty of kids who have play deserts and don’t have safe places to go and just be a kid. … We are hoping to make sure that we give play areas and let these kids have the childhood they deserve.”

This story was originally published October 26, 2016 at 2:54 PM with the headline "Hundreds of volunteers band together to build playground in Kansas City’s Hyde Park."