"Collective Spirit in Action" - Fort Worth HUD Gives an Inner-City Elementary School a New Playground

Wednesday, October 03, 2001

It took a lot of work - including bake sales, raffles, a carnival and other fundraising - and a great deal of compassion, but on Friday, September 28th, the employees of HUD's Office in Fort Worth, Texas, gave a gift of a new playground to the students of Van Zandt-Guinn Elementary School. Van Zandt-Guinn is an inner city school that teaches low-income, predominantly minority students. Some of the school's students live in Fort Worth's homeless shelters.

�[photo 1: Ribbon cutting ceremony at Van Zandt-Guinn Elementary school.]

For over 15 years, HUD's Fort Worth Office has been a vigorous partner in the Adopt-A-School Program, created by the Fort Worth Independent School District.� Fundraising for this project began when the school's principal identified a critical need for an age appropriate playground at the school about 3 years ago.� This was strictly a volunteer effort, made possible by concerned HUD employees who collected more than $10,000 through a variety of fundraisers and community donations.� A happy group of students - the Student Council of Van Zandt-Guinn Elementary officially cut the ribbon for their new playground last month.

�[Photo 2: HUD volunteers serving as mentors and coordinators.]
HUD volunteers gather around a plaque commemorating the donation.� Upper row: Dorothy Kelly, Diana Puckett, Riley Henderson, and Mary Walsh.� Bottom row: Arden Moomey,�Gaye McAuley, Virginia Escamilla,�Trini Rodriguez, Gloria Travis, Louis Ybarra, Nancy Smith, and Johnnie Young.

HUD employees have enthusiastically volunteered at the Van Zandt-Guinn School for many years: serving as mentors, coordinating a "pen pal" letter writing program,� reading to classes, and sponsoring school picnics.� Donating the playground is just another way the staff demonstrated the commitment HUD employees have to the children of Fort Worth - and the care and concern they have for the communities they serve.
�[Photo 3: HUD volunteers and students at their new playground.]


"We all have seen the 'collective spirit' in action throughout America in these past difficult weeks," said Acting Secretary's Representative for the Southwest Louis Ybarra.� "All of us in HUD's Fort Worth Office are very proud and very pleased to be a part of it.� Through determination and the hard work of individuals coming together, good things do happen."

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Content Archived: September 09, 2009