Cedar Hill Playground Rebuild Project Makes Call for Volunteers

The Cedar Hill Playground Rebuild Project needs the community’s help during Community Build Week to work together and assemble the new playground for Cedar Hill Park.

This project draws much inspiration from the first playground build that took place almost twenty-three years ago when 1,200 volunteers came together for an experience of a lifetime to build the original Cedar Hill Park Playground. On May 18 through May 22, the opportunity will return for thousands of volunteers to work together, once again, and commit to a community and an amazing project.

Volunteers of all skill levels are needed during the build. Even if an individual has never touched a tool, there will still be dozens of ways to help. Volunteers are currently being recruited for the following areas: Child Care; Art, Design and Special Features; Food; Materials; Tools; and Volunteers.

During the build, the work day will begin at 8 a.m. and end at 8 p.m. Each day will consist of three shifts: 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. People are still encouraged to volunteer even if they cannot work an entire shift as there will be plenty of tasks available outside of the specified time frame.

The project needs 100 to 125 volunteers per shift during the weekday (Wednesday through Friday) and 150 to 200 volunteers per shift on Saturday and Sunday.

Even kids can be involved in their soon-to-be playground. Children who are potty trained up through age 9 will go to child care and work on activities. Age group 10 through 13 can work with parents and/or a guardian and age group 14 through 17 can work on site.

One key, critical volunteer area is construction captains. Construction captains are volunteers who will work alongside the Leathers’ construction consultants for the entire duration of the build. They will oversee and instruct crews, while helping to keep efficiency and maintain attention to details. The Cedar Hill Park Playground Rebuild Project calls for a minimum 10 construction captains. Anyone interested in learning more about this particular volunteer position, should contact Jon Hetrick, Project Coordinator, at jhetrick@oakridgetn.gov.

To learn more about volunteer opportunities, please contact Athanasia Senecal Lewis, Volunteer Coordinator, at asenecal@oakridgetn.gov. Individuals can volunteer at the front desk of the Oak Ridge Civic Center or complete an on-line registration form at Cedar Hill Park. Advance sign-ups allow members of the Steering Committee to plan ahead for food and other pre-planning elements, but community members will be allowed to sign-up during the build at the playground site.

For current information on the project, visit Cedar Hill Park.

News media contact: Diana Stanley (865) 425-3546 or dstanley@oakridgetn.gov.