One Piece at a Time - Amanda Pfaff CLGY

When my crew and I arrived at the Dinosaur Playground on the Monday morning before it’s intended Sunday opening, I looked around at the open space, interrupted only by a few dozen Sono-tubes, set in deep beneath the ground to assist with structural support, and I couldn’t help but think to myself, how in the heck is this going to turn into a finished playground in seven days? I certainly had my doubts, but having no idea what to expect, my anticipation for the project’s completion was high and I couldn’t wait to see the transformation.

The bulk of the construction did not even begin until Wednesday morning when Justin and Lee arrived, the front-men on the project: most of Monday and Tuesday were spent putting up temporary fences, assembling the giant food tent, setting beams in the Sono-tubes, and doing other preparatory work. On Wednesday however, the volunteers started pouring in and work really started getting done.

Watching the daily progressions occur on site was amazing; piece by piece, screw by screw, one set of volunteers after another, the playground slowly took form. It’s remarkable for me to think about, that this huge project could not have been successful without the all volunteers who came to help, who gave up their evenings, their days, even their weekends. Every day I was able to work with new people, of all ages, of all backgrounds. I watched a pair of teenage siblings making a playful game out of hammering, seeing who could get the nail in with less swings. I watched a father and son go to grab 12’ long 2X4’s- the father started to pick up two boards, and the 10 year old boy said, Dad, I can carry more than that; fifteen minutes later I looked over and the pair was carrying five boards across the site, I couldn’t help but smile. It felt good to look up from the task at hand and see parents bringing their children out to volunteer, to see them laughing and working with one another. Volunteer turnout really said a great deal about the local community.

My appreciation for the week I spent at the playground also had a great deal to do with the nature of the work. Having told Lee and Justin that I’d had previous experience with carpentry, they entrusted me with leading many small group projects; I was able to work with my crew and other volunteers and help them learn and get things done, honestly it was empowering. There I was, a 23-year-old girl, and I was in charge of directing men and women of all ages, I loved it. Not only was I able to pass my own knowledge but I learned so many new things and mastered so many new tools. Justin put me in charge of putting together the small rubber suspension bridges on the playground, I was excited that he let me take lead on what I considered a pretty big project, and while I had dozens of questions on the first bridge, when it was time for the second, I was able to teach others. I think that’s one of the great things about volunteer builds such as this; people with little or no experience can come in and are given the ability to do things they’ve never done before, to contribute in ways they probably never imagined they could, and then they walk away not only having the rewards of giving their time, but also in acquiring new skills and a new sense of confidence, at least that’s how I feel.

My favorite experience at Dino Park came on Thursday afternoon; I’d just finished taking inventory of playground parts, and was asking Justin for my next assignment, he then asked me if I was at all creative. He probably couldn’t see my eyes light up behind my sunglasses, but he had just asked the million-dollar question. With a giant grin on my face I proceeded to tell him that I was an art major in college; his response- and you wait until now to tell me this? I then followed him across the site to where he said he had the perfect project waiting for me. As we approached a giant beam that would later be lofted to hold the tire swing, he asked me if I’d ever used a router, I said no, he said, you’ll learn. He then gave me a few sheets of paper, one of them listing the words that needed to be routed into the beam; he gave me a crash course in using a router and left me to have at it.

Part of me was scared to death, this was a huge deal, it wasn’t like an art project in college where if I messed up I could just get a new piece of paper- this was a 20 foot beam, and any error was permanent. The other part of me was experiencing an adrenaline rush, I was completely enticed by the challenge- yes, it was intimidating, but I felt an unusual confidence in my ability, and I was so excited to be trusted with such a high profile project. I jumped right in, learned as I went and immediately became obsessed with the routing process. I loved this task. It took me a long time to finish, and there are definitely some errors in my work, but when I stepped back to look at what I’d done, I felt proud. The day before I’d never even touched a router, and there I stood 24 hours later having finished the sign that would be displayed for all to see in the playground, it felt awesome.

I ended up putting in over 60 hours of work at the playground that week, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Though it was chaotic at times, it was great to see so many people work together to meet the deadline. For me it was a week full of fun work, great people, great food, and exciting challenges. It left me feeling proud of the contributions I made, confident in my ability to lead and to learn, and glad that this had been put on my project schedule for MCC…and it also led me to tell my parents that I now want a router for my birthday. All in all, it was an awesome experience and I’m grateful that I got to be a part of it.