Every few years, our inclusive playground needs a fresh layer of mulch—not because the old mulch is completely replaced, but because it settles and compacts over time. What looks like a simple maintenance job is actually an important part of keeping the playground safe, usable, and healthy for the trees around it. The mulch helps with drainage, cushions the play area, and keeps the grounds in good condition for the children who use them every day.
This was not ordinary landscaping mulch. It was International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association (IPEMA)-certified mulch, an engineered wood fiber designed specifically for playground use. The job required shovels, wheelbarrows, buckets, organization, and a great deal of labor.
The work became a community effort. Volunteers from the Community Health Awareness for Adolescents and Teens (C.H.A.A.T.) summer day camp program, children and teachers from the BT Early Learning Center summer camp, and several other adults came together to take on the task. C.H.A.A.T. was involved because the group needed a community service project, they were already on the BT campus, and the playground mulch project gave them a practical way to serve.
The amount of mulch was impressive. Several truckloads were delivered, and future work would bring even more—four trucks carrying seven yards each, for a total of twenty-eight yards, or roughly eighteen tons of mulch. In the past, the job had always been done with volunteer labor, creating tremendous savings while also giving people a chance to work together for a shared purpose.
Steve Grinnell began the day working alone, the morning felt a little slow and uncertain. When the children and other volunteers arrived, however, his attitude changed. The work was no longer his burden alone. What he had expected to be a frustrating morning became, in his words, a blessing. Children, teenagers, teachers, and adults moved together across the playground, filling buckets, pushing wheelbarrows, and spreading mulch into play areas.
The children brought an energy that changed the whole atmosphere. Some wanted to shovel. Others preferred carrying buckets. A few of the younger children wanted to push wheelbarrows. The BT Early Learning Center summer day camp children came with smaller buckets and hurried back and forth with excitement. The adults had to remind them to slow down so no one would get hurt, but their enthusiasm made the hard work feel lighter.
The adults were organized and steady and worked alongside the children, helping them stay focused and safe while allowing them to choose jobs they were excited to do. Music played through a small sound system, adding to the sense that this was more than a chore; it was a shared experience.
By 11 o’clock, the work was finished. The enormous piles of mulch had disappeared, and the playground had been renewed. What had seemed at first like a heavy job became manageable because so many hands joined in. The children were hard workers, the adults provided structure, and everyone contributed to something that would benefit the community.
The most memorable part of the day was not just the amount of mulch moved, or the money saved on labor. It was the way the project brought people together. One adult who had started the morning working alone admitted that he was not happy at first. But when the children and volunteers arrived, his attitude changed completely. What he thought might be a difficult morning became a blessing.
In the end, the mulch project showed how ordinary service can become meaningful when a community works together. Buckets of mulch, shovels, wheelbarrows, and a playground became the setting for teamwork, responsibility, and joy. The children learned that they could contribute, the adults saw the power of organized cooperation, and the playground was renewed through everyone’s effort.
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