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Bethune Elementary in Detroit getting new playground

Posted at 5:15 PM, Sep 30, 2016
and last updated 2016-09-30 17:15:10-04

Students at one elementary school in Detroit are excited to get a new playground. It's all thanks to volunteers and two organizations coming together to help.

Bethune Elementary is getting a new playground for its students - it's all thanks to KaBOOM, a non-profit organization helping build playgrounds.

They teamed up with Target for this project.

Katrina Bitanga, KaBOOM associate project manager, said, "What you are seeing is hard work and celebration of an 8-week long planning process and today is build day. This playground is 100% kid inspired and community built."

"Students need to play.They need to be able to exercise and students learn from play," said school principal Alisanda Woods.

Their old play space was outdated, so the school applied for a grant to get a new play ground.

"Pieces to climb on, pieces to spin on. Things to climb all over," Bitanga said. "There's even musical panels on there like drums for kids to interact with."

Besides the playground, they are utilizing most of the outdoor space, including an area for an outdoor classroom.

Bitanga added, "So kids can be outside and learning as well soaking up some vitamin-d."

Some say this is more than just a playground.

Bitang explained, "We are creating a friend-maker. Were creating a muscle builder."

"It makes me feel so excited that people are willing to plant seeds and when they do this work they are planting seeds in the lives of little ones. And that's the most impact anybody can have," Woods added.