ST. LOUIS (KMOX) – Dozens of youngsters turned out in the warm sunshine, Saturday, to help the Salvation Army’s Temple Corps Community Center unveil its new playground.

One child shared his thanks with KMOX News, “It’s so fantastic, all of you who did this. It’s so cool.”

“Those who did this” were 270 volunteers from the Salvation Army and the St. Louis based Energizer company, who built the playground in one day, last Wednesday.

Steven Diaz is a pastor with the Salvation Army Corps in south St. Louis.

He says neighborhood parents are thrilled by the new recreation area, “To take kids to a playground, we used to have to cross Jefferson, which isn’t fun crossing such a major street. Now, parents don’t have to do that. They can just come here, to a place where they’re comfortable and feel safe.”

Diaz says the national non-profit KaBoom and the Salvation Army challenged neighborhood kids to be creative in designing the play land, ”They all drew their dream playground. Some of the boys here today drew waterslides, sweet shops, and ice cream parlors as part of their designs.”

Well, there is no ice cream stand at the playground, but it’s got slides, a mini climbing wall, and much more.

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