Student volunteers with Working for Worcester build new playground at Union Hill School

WORCESTER - When volunteers with Working for Worcester, a student-run nonprofit, were at Union Hill Elementary School on Friday, the elementary school children and their parents knew something good was about to spring up.

Christos Papavassiliou, a College of the Holy Cross sophomore with Working for Worcester, recalled "the students coming out of class — just to see the look on the faces and the smiles of the parents."

On Friday the volunteers prepped the ground area outside Union Hill Elementary School at 1 Chapin St. in the working-class neighborhood of Dorchester Street. Then bright and early Saturday morning under a slate-gray November sky about 25 students from Holy Cross and nearby Worcester Academy, along with members of Working for Worcester sponsors Consigli Construction Co. and the United Way of Central Massachusetts, built and put up a colorful new playground at the school.

Kylie Hampton, a senior at Holy Cross, said "the school really needed a new playground. It wasn't in good condition."

When the Union Hill students return to school on Monday, the playground will be theirs to play on. The playground includes slides, monkey bars and space to run around. It will be a "safe, inclusive, and modern playground," Working for Worcester said.

"When I was in school I loved to play outside so I couldn't imagine not having that and being inside," Hampton said. "They'll have the playground next week."

Working for Worcester focuses on enhancing community spaces, infrastructure and the lives of residents by engaging volunteers and local businesses. The organization puts on an annual Build Day on a Saturday in April which typically involves about 1,500 volunteers and 30 local businesses at over 20 different sites. Volunteers have built more than 25 playgrounds and also worked inside schools and other sites to build new space for libraries and related needs. The next Build Day will be April 13, 2024.

Friday and Saturday's build at Union Hill Elementary School was the organization's first playground construction outside of Build Day, said Working for Worcester CEO and Holy Cross senior Aidan Busconi.

Won't wait till April for playground

The principal of Union Hill School had contacted Working for Worcester about the possibility of building a new playground, and the organization felt the school shouldn't have to wait for a new playground until April.

"We're immensely proud of this playground project and the positive impact it will have on the lives of students and the surrounding community. It's a testament to the power of collaboration and community support. This playground not only enriches the educational environment but also fosters a sense of unity and well-being," Busconi said.

Working for Worcester hopes to expand other activities beyond Build Day, he said.

By around 10 a.m. Saturday it seemed that most of the Union Hill Elementary School playground construction had been done, although spades and rakes were being used to secure the ground for the new equipment. Papavassiliou said the volunteers had arrived around 6:30 a.m.

Tim Garvin, president and CEO of the United Way of Central Massachusetts, said of the students on hand Saturday, "They're awesome. They make our city of Worcester better, period." Also, Consigli Construction "are godsends," Garvin said.

Working for Worcester was formed 12 years ago by Holy Cross juniors Jeff Reppucci and Derek Kump who "had an idea, even a vision, how to mobilize the college student community of Worcester and build recreational spaces for Worcester’s children and families," Garvin said. "The idea was brilliant."

Now Working for Worcester has involved students from all of Worcester's colleges and has a management team of 20 students, Busconi said. "All decisions are made by us," he said.

The team on hand at Union Hill Saturday included Papavassiliou, who is from Wellesley and is Working for Worcester's director of digital operations; Hampton, who is from Readington, New Jersey, director of marketing and social media; J.T. Bougio, a Holy Cross senior form Buffalo, New York, who is coordinator of site development and director of sustainability; and Tania Wakefield, a Holy Cross sophomore from Hanover, manager of volunteer recruitment.

Giving back to community

Hampton feels she has come to know Worcester through her involvement with Working for Worcester. "It's really fulfilling to give back to the Worcester community," she said. "I feel I've been able to connect a lot more with the Worcester community, exploring the area and collaborating."

Wakefield said she's been impressed "meeting people that run the schools and the hard work of everyone ... the principals really care about the students."

Bougio said it has been rewarding to help the city "in a different way."

Busconi, who is from Hopkinton, went to Worcester Academy so he has been in the city for eight years, he said. "Worcester definitely feels like home. It's a really accepting community."

Other management team members range from Canada to Virginia are all "involved with the community we're in," Busconi said. With other Worcester colleges involved as well, "it's unique," he said of Working for Worcester.

Hampton has seen Working for Worcester alumni coming back to volunteer on Build Day. "It's something they really care about. It's really cool to see," she said.

Working for Worcester will continue to work closely with Union Hill Elementary School to ensure the playground's long-term success and revisit the site again on its annual Build Day on April 13, Busconi said. Some team members said they may swing by before then.

Garvin called Saturday's playground build "a good news story." The United Way of Central Massachusetts provides support to Working for Worcester in several areas. "We do whatever they need so they can be the best at what they do," he said.

For all the good the organization does in the community, "the greatest is that 25 students (on Saturday) and 1,500 students (on Build Day) get involved and learn volunteerism," Garvin said.

"And that stays with them for the rest of their lives."

For more information visit www.workingforworcester.com.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: College students build new playground for Union Hill Elementary School