Individual, Groups Can Still Volunteer at Building New Joey's Park

Annie Hang moved to Belmont in the sixth grade and quickly discovered one of the town’s treasures: the Joey’s Park playground.

“I did love playing there, even though I was the oldest one,” recalls Hang, now a senior and co-captain of the Belmont High School varsity girls volleyball team. 

“It’s really different from all the other playgrounds.”

This fall, Hang and her teammates are going to help preserve the playground for future generations of kids. The volleyball team is part of a growing roster of high schools teams who have signed up to help build the new Joey’s Park.

Many high school athletes got some of their earliest workouts sprinting through the playground’s tunnels and towers, including Sam Kerans, co-captain of the varsity soccer team. He and his teammates will help with the Joey’s Park pre-build Saturday, Sept. 28.

“I spent a lot of my childhood on that park, got some splinters along the way,” said Kerans.  “It’s a piece of my history. I’m excited to be part of building it for the next generation.”

“We are thrilled to have so many high school athletes willing to lend their strength and their time to help build the park,” says Diane Miller, co-chair of the Friends of Joey’s Park.  

“They are creating a wonderful space for the children following in their footsteps and they are setting a powerful example of what it means to be part of team.”

One thousand community volunteers are needed to build the new playground.  There is a job for all skills levels, from novice to advanced carpentry. There’s also a role for heavy-lifters. The Marauders football team will jog over to the playground site Sept. 28 to help install more than 200 massive structural posts.

“It will be a nice work-out,” says Barret Lyons, varsity football team co-captain. “And it will be nice for the team to come together for a good cause.”

“Our high school teams are leading the way as we encourage everyone in the community to consider being part of this community build,” explains Ellen Schreiber, co-chair of the Friends of Joey’s Park.  

“It’s easy to sign up as a team, an organization or as a group of friends.  We invite everyone to join us as an individual or as part of a group, it’s going to be an unforgettable experience.”

Sign up to join the build the weekend of Sept. 28 and 29 and Oct. 9 to 14 at www.joeyspark.org.  See more photos of the BHS teams and get updates on the project at the Friends of Joey’s Park Facebook page.

Don’t Want to Build? Here’s How You Can Help:·      

• Donate Tools
• Volunteer at the Joey's Park Kids Room
• Help with Registration
• Make/Serve Food 
• Sponsor a Brick or a Bench

Sign up at WWW.JOEYSPARK.ORG or call 617-290-6216.