TROY, MO (KMOX) - Some kids in Troy, Missouri woke up Sunday to see that their new playground had been hit by vandals. What they did next has earned the praise of a city official.
Troy Parks Director Ryan Howell says donations helped pay for the multi-level playground full of tubes and slides and platforms at Kiwanis Park. "It's very expensive. I think, I don't know the exact amount on that playground, but it was around $300,000 for the playground equipment itself."
Pictures posted on social media Sunday morning showed graffiti all over the structure.
Howell says shortly after he was notified of the damage, he was sent a picture of a group of neighborhood kids and their families already scrubbing the spray paint away. "They saw that it was messed up and that was their playground. They wanted to clean it up, so they did."
Howell posted a thank you on the city facebook page, but also asked those kids to call him, so he could thank them individually for showing pride and taking ownership of their community.
This past weekend our newest park was visited by some local artists, and while many images floating around social media show the destruction our recent guests caused, I want to take a little bit of time and speak to those who stepped up and helped. By the time I heard about the vandalism, many of the local children and their families had already taken action. I hear a lot about how kids now days have zero respect, don’t have manners, don’t know how to treat others, have no pride in what they have, think everything should be given to them, and have no work ethic. I’ve seen some terrible things that would make me think the same, but what I saw yesterday was inspiring and a lesson for people young and old. OUR children taking the lead, picking up the slack where others failed. Seeing a problem and doing something about it. Not because they were forced to but because it was the right thing to do. This is the ultimate show of respect, pride, and hard work. It was pride in their community, respect for something that was built for them, and I am grateful for everyone who recognized a problem and took the time to fix it.
With that being said, I would like anyone that knows the children that helped over the weekend to give me a call. With parents’ permission I want to speak to them, I want them to hear the sincerity in an adult’s voice as he thanks them for the time and effort they put forth. A simple post on social media is not sufficient! I owe them more.
Howell tells KMOX, "I just think kids need to hear that from an adult."
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