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Hurricane Katrina 10 Years Later

Rebuilt playgrounds revive joy for Gulf Coast kids after Katrina

Tyler Pager
USA TODAY
Hurricane Katrina leaves only remnants of a playground in Bay St. Louis, Miss., in 2005.

Ginny Reynolds remembers how she lost everything as a young girl when Hurricane Camille hit Bay St. Louis, Miss., in 1969.

So after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005 — including Bay St. Louis — Reynolds wanted to help resurrect the childhoods that she knew had been taken by the storm.

Reynolds reached out to KaBOOM!, an organization that helps communities build playgrounds. And 110 days after the storm, a brand-new playground stood in Bay St. Louis.

“When a place is so completely devastated, to have something that’s intact, beautiful, clean and welcoming, " Reynolds said, "it gives people hope and it gives them the courage to go forward.”

Following the success of the first playground, KaBOOM! launched Operation Playground. Ten years later, nearly 300,000 children have toddled, scampered and romped through 173 playgrounds and a number of other play areas built across the Gulf Coast region.

One of those children is Hollie Kosbab, who was 5 years old when she was evacuated from Bay St. Louis. She remembers being separated from family members and worrying about where they were.

She also remembers making sandwiches for the volunteers who were building a playground in her community and helping the spread mulch. Kosbab, now 15, said the playground is still there and serves as a reminder of what the community has been through.

“When something big like that is happening at such a young age, you can’t really just be a kid. You have to grow up and help — especially me because my mom was a single parent," she said. After KaBOOM! built our playground, I just felt young again.”

In New Orleans, a playground in the 17th Ward replaced a spot known for prostitution and drug sales, said Jarvain Bingmon, the executive director of Trinity Christian Community.

Bingmon said the playground, built in the Hollygrove neighborhood, has attracted people of all ages and walks of life. KaBOOM! has done more than just rebuild the park, Bingmon said. It rebuilt the whole community.

“They have come into some desolate parts and places where New Orleans recreation department just didn’t have the funds or the means to revitalize a playground or a park,” he said.

Although Katrina is 10 years in the past, KaBOOM! will continue to build playgrounds in the region, according Kate Becker, chief mission officer and chief operating officer. Becker said the organization isn't just building playgrounds; it seeks to create opportunities for children to play everywhere.

“We know ... that kids need to have a balance of active play and that kids today are not getting that," she said.

Follow @tylerpager on Twitter.

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