Volunteers Build Playground At Variety B&G Club

(L. to r.): Milko Campusano, Variety Boys and Girls Club secretary, Tom Nowierski, club president, Peter Vallone Jr. and Lauren Campusano.

Hundreds of people volunteered their time this past weekend to build a playground in a single day, a contribution that will allow the community's children to play and exercise. Volunteers showed up as early as 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 28 to begin work in the parking lot of the Variety Boys and Girls Club, located at 21st Street and 30th Road in Astoria. By the end of the day, the participants had erected a fully functioning playground for the club, which has been without an outdoor playground for almost 50 years.

City Councilmember Peter F. Vallone Jr. joined in the work and fun. Vallone's office spurred the project by alerting the club's executive director, Tracie Van Dina, to the KaBOOM! Organization, a non-profit group that creates public play space for urban youth and its one-day playground program, which provided a grant to build the playground. Jet Blue Airways also provided corporate sponsorship to help make the dream of the playground into reality. The children at the club were asked to make drawings of their ideal playground and KaBOOM! Organization engineers designed the playground, based on the children's drawings.

Rather than cut the ribbon to open the playground, Variety Boys and Girls Club members tore the strand as (l. to r., rear) Vallone Jr., Nowierski, Club Executive Director Tracie Van Dina, Gina Rauscher, Jet Blue manager, community affairs, and Icema Gibbs, Jet Blue community affairs director, looked on.

Jet Blue brought 160 employees, some coming from as far away as New Jersey and KaBOOM! Organization staff traveled from Washington D.C. Some 80 parents of young club members also came to help. Jet Blue also provided the food, compliments of their food servic- es department. During the construction, 185 square yards of mulch would be distributed, turning the pavement into a viable play area. In addition, swings, rock climbing walls, a jungle gym and a slide were assembled. Benches were built with flowerbeds nearby, and a mural was painted on a ramp behind the playground to beautify the space.

"It was an enormous pleasure to see so many people coming together to make this playground. It was as much fun as playing on a playground when I was a kid," Vallone said. "This project sets a great example of what's possible when private, public and community interests all make an effort to improve our city."

Hundreds of volunteers from Jet Blue and the community gathered at the Variety Boys and Girls Club to help build the playground.

Vallone has secured numerous grants over the years for other improvements at the Variety Boys and Girls Club, which his grandfather, Judge Charles Vallone, founded more than 50 years ago. Vallone was joined by his father, former City Council Speaker Peter Vallone Sr., and other community leaders, all of whom helped transform the space into a playground.

"These 300 volunteers gave up their Saturday, to do something positive for the children and the community. I think they succeeded," Tom Nowierski, longtime president of the club, said. "This was done with the hard work and sweat of those men and women- amazing to watch."

The playground opened soon after the construction was finished, and will be open to the public during the day. The Variety Boys and Girls Club offers a range of programs that attract local youth, from homework tutoring to drama and dance classes. Organizers hope the playground will be another draw to keep kids active and out of trouble.

(L. to r.): Tracie Van Dina, Variety Boys and Girls Club executive director, City Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr., Tom Nowierski, Variety Boys and Girls Club president, Julian Wager of the Central Astoria Local Development Coalition, former City Council Speaker Peter Vallone Sr. and Darrell Hammond, KaBOOM! Organization chief executive officer celebrate the playground's grand opening. Photos Dan Miller/DMD Images

"Not only did I have a good time, I learned a lot from the experience," Vallone said. "Government would be a lot easier if we accomplish things in a single day."

Dan Miller contributed to this story