Our KNX Hero of the Week is connecting neighbors by building a new community playground.
Conor Ross of Tustin is a volunteer construction manager on a special project in the Bishop Manor neighborhood of Santa Ana - rebuilding the community playground.
“On the north side of the community, it's Hispanic. On the south side, it's Cambodian and other South Asian,” Conor told Heroes host Heather Jordan. “ If we can get the kids playing together, kids don't see race by giving them a safe space in the middle, perhaps parents that are playing with them will mingle, and it'll break down some of those barriers.”
It's a first-of-its-kind effort by the Community Association's Institute Orange County Chapter.
“Bishop Manor's playground was broken equipment,” he said. “Everything was worn out, missing swings. There was a slide that had been broken, and so not only was it unsightly, but it was absolutely dangerous.”
So, it was time to get to work.
“We started by scraping the ground, removed some of those dangerous pipes that were sticking out of the ground, resurfaced the walls around the play area, primed and painted, and now we're putting a mural, two massive artsy murals that are gorgeous,” he said. “We're installing safety chips, and then beyond that, we're putting in grass because the kids play soccer in this area.”
Conor wants to provide blessings and resources for kids like he had when he was growing up.
“I feel like it's my duty to make sure that people have the chance for similar fortune,” he said. “If I found out down the road that this helped one person succeed and do something that's good for the next group of people, I will consider it a massive success.”
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