125 Volunteers Build Playground At Bergen Special-Needs School (video)

More than 100 people volunteered Thursday to build a playground at the Windsor Bergen Academy in Ridgewood. They started, and finished, the project in one day.

The work started at 6 a.m. and by 2:30 p.m., the entire playground, with swing sets, slides, and picnic tables, for the school’s 65 special-needs students, was built.

KaBOOM!, a national non-profit that matches corporate funding partners with community organizations to help children play, matched the school with the PSEG Foundation and an $88,000 donation. The charitable arm of the Public Service Enterprise Group provides financial support to non-profits. The donation covered the cost of materials.

Every student submitted a drawing of what his or her ideal playground would be. Designers used those drawings to create the playground.

“It’s a direct reflection of the desires, needs, and dreams of our students,” said Amy Giesler, a social worker at the school.

Volunteers with the Ridgewood Rotary chapter, PSEG, and dozens more people showed up at 6:15 a.m. to start work.

“It is a true example of what can be accomplished in a very short period of time if people work together,” Giesler said.

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Photos: Volunteers work together to construct and install the playground.