A Morning of Mulch and Service

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.

Servant Spotlight: Angel Jimenez

Guest Blog: Robert Newman

Angel, Robert and Terry

Some people have, at least, a little warning that they are going to be dealing with a special needs child, but Terry Jimenez had no warning at all.

Terry's first learned something was wrong when Angel went to daycare, he started biting and hitting other children. Angel was referred to Any Baby Can and was diagnosed as having had oxygen deprivation at birth, due a breech delivery.

As Angel was growing up, he had no access to school playgrounds and played in the classroom. He was not allowed to play with children his own age at school since he acted like a much younger child but was too big to play with the younger students. No one would play with him at the public park.

Terry believes Angel would have benefited from an inclusive playground. He is apprehensive around regular playground equipment − if it doesn't have pictures showing what it is used for, he doesn't know what to do. He doesn't like it if it goes too fast or too high.

Today, Angel is 32 years old and developmentally disabled. He cannot read, write, or understand money. He attends the ARC of San Antonio on Saturdays, learning to tell time and count money. Terry reinforces that training at home.

Angel is called a VIP at the ARC because he is so helpful. He helps push people in wheelchairs, helps with Meals on Wheels, and volunteers at the dog pound. Angel likes to be on the go and enjoys interacting with his peers but is still shy when interacting with strangers.

Angel looks forward to coming to worship at Baptist Temple each week. He feels love and acceptance. He especially enjoys working with the children during VBS. The recent gift of a hat from Immanuel Motorcycle Ministry President Armando Acosta is a reminder that he is an important part of the Baptist Temple family. 

Armando (L) gives Angel an Immanuel Motorcycle Ministry hat,

Belonging

Guest Blog: Diana Aranda-Curtis

I was born in 1958 with Cerebral Palsy, due to a complication during birth. My first memory of learning that I was disabled came to me during a doctor visit at the age of seven. My life changed. The doctor told my mother about a school for children with disabilities. They decided that it would be better for me.

I had just started 2nd grade at the same school my siblings were attending. We all walked to school together but now I was being sent to a different school. A school bus would pick me up and bring me home each day. I would no longer be able to be with my siblings.

I didn’t want to go to a different school. I protested when the bus came to pick me up. It was a struggle to get me on but soon I was on this school bus filled with children with many different disabilities. I saw children in wheelchairs, children with crutches and walkers, and children who needed to wear braces to walk. I examined myself and wondered why I was at this school. I didn’t use a wheelchair. I didn’t need a walker, crutches nor leg braces.

My life was now very different and I had to adjust. I grew up not being around my brothers and sisters. They all shared or knew the same principals, staff, teachers, and friends. I had a life of loneliness. Even though I went home each evening, I was going home to a family who didn’t know anything about me. They didn’t know my principal, my teachers, or any of my friends.

The school I went to was for children 1st through 12th grade, located in the Southeast side of San Antonio, and had students from all over San Antonio. Most of those in my grade, and there were not many, lived in the Northside or Westside. I lived on the Eastside. I couldn’t go to a friend’s house after school or during the summer. My siblings were able to visit their friends but I felt left out.

It wasn’t until I was in the 10th grade that many students were being streamlined to regular schools. Some were able to make it and some did not. I was one of the students who could not make it at a regular school. I had no idea what to expect at a regular school. I didn’t know anyone there. I felt insecure and afraid of this change.

The school became an elementary school and still uses the mascot that we voted on but there is not anything left of the school that I attended. There are no school reunions; many of my friends died at an early age due to their disability. I was left to find a way to live in a world that I never got to know.

I have struggled since graduating and I still struggle today. Bringing those with disabilities to be a part of this world is very important. It teaches everyone that we are all different; but that we all matter.

*****

Diana Aranda-Curtis became a wife and mother, raising four children and has eight grandchildren. She is a compassionate person who serves at Baptist Temple in many ways but particularly through the Highland Park CAN thrift store and food pantry.

Motorcycle Ride to benefit an inclusive playground on San Antonio's Southside

This Saturday, November 9 at 9 AM, motorcyclists will gather at Baptist Temple Church, 901 E Drexel St., for a ride to benefit Southeast San Antonio's first inclusive playground. They playground will allow children with disabilities to play with their friends of typical abilities. Children need free play to build their physical, mental and social skills. Also, this type of playground breaks down the barriers that lead to loneliness for disabled children and lack of understanding for others.

Riders include Immanuel Motorcycle Ministry, Soldados de Cristo, Fishers of Men, Last Chance Ministries, King Jesus Riders, and Guardian Devils.

Riders will meet for breakfast at 8 AM for the 9 AM start and will return at noon for lunch where they will be welcomed by friends from the disabled community.

Inclusive playground website and video