By Janet Jacobs
Daily Sun
Home Depot managed to take a recycling project, and a charitable community service project and make them into one.
Volunteers with Team Depot, an in-house volunteer charity supported by Home Depot employees, spent part of last week installing a large series of climbing, sliding, play equipment at the Navarro County Boys and Girls Club.
The equipment came from Houston, where it was submerged under water when Hurricane Ike swept inland.
“It came from the hurricane,” said Carolyn McCombs, who’s on the team. “It was under water and they had to demolish some apartments. Someone from here brought them up here. A private donor purchased the equipment and Home Depot’s putting it up.”
In addition to installing the equipment, the team members will also give the weathered equipment a shiny new coat of paint, and spread a layer of pea gravel underneath to make it safer, McCombs said.
The Home Depot team and McCombs have been a blessing, said Eula Linicomm, executive director of the Navarro County Boys and Girls Club.
“This is a new facility, so it came with no playground equipment,” Linicomm said. “We were excited when (McCombs) approached me about it. We were definitely in need of playground equipment for the kids.”
The club has a Triple Play Daily Challenge program that encourages the children to have more fun through physical activity, and the new playground will be an integral part of that, she added.
“And our course, many thanks to Carolyn McCombs for her dedication along with the Home Depot management and staff throughout this process,” Linicomm said. “Home Depot has just been awesome.”
Now about seven years old in this area, the Boys and Girls Club provides services five days a week to children ages 6-18 years old through programs that emphasize character and leadership development, education and career enhancement, health and life skills, the arts, and sports, fitness and recreation.
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Janet Jacobs may be reached via e-mail at jacobs@corsicanadailysun.com
