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Operation Reconstruct Builds a New KaBOOM! Playground
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Operation Reconstruct students with other volunteers and grateful children at the KaBOOM! playground dedication. | More than a year after it was established, Home Builders Institute's (HBI) Operation Reconstruct continues to make an impact on the Gulfport community and its residents of all ages.
Founded in 2007 to assist in community rebuilding efforts in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Operation Reconstruct trains out-of-work residents for employment in residential construction. It is funded by the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.
Students receive about half of their hands-on training through service projects, and HBI instructors are always looking for new opportunities to sharpen their students’ construction skills.
On Dec. 18, Operation Reconstruct students and instructors joined more than 100 volunteers and Gulfport, Miss. city officials to build a new KaBOOM! playground in the Gaston Point area of the city. KaBOOM! is a social entrepreneurial organization that specializes in converting run-down areas into playgrounds and parks.
In 2008, the Gulfport Police Department took over a large park and the city purchased several dilapidated apartments in the surrounding area. Plans to convert a former lounge into a child development center were scrapped when it was determined that the original structure could not be saved. At that point, the city called on KaBOOM!’s expertise to create a playground.
Gulfport City Councilman Gary Holliman, keynote speaker at Operation Reconstruct’s graduation last summer, helped facilitate KaBOOM!’s involvement and was one of the several local officials breaking a sweat at the job site.
“KaBOOM! is a superb organization and I was delighted to learn our students in Operation Reconstruct had the chance to work together in Gaston Point,” said HBI trustee Annette Rayburn. “Anytime HBI students can put their skills to work to make a difference in their communities is rewarding, but it is special when their efforts benefit the community’s youngest residents.”
Operation Reconstruct students were the first to arrive and the last to leave the project. Next month, the Gulfport Police Athletic League (PAL) plans to build a new community center for children next to the playground, where HBI students will also have the opportunity to put their construction trade skills into practice.
“These students, and many Mississippi residents, have had a difficult time over the past few years. Despite these challenges, they are making a strong effort to better their lives, as well as the lives of people around them. Their generosity is something everyone at HBI — from students to staff and trustees — are all incredibly proud of,” added Rayburn.
For more information on Operation Reconstruct, e-mail Dennis Torbett at HBI, or call him at 800-795-7955 x8908.
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Operation Reconstruct project coordinator Eddie Collins with a young Gaston Point resident. |
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