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IT'S JUST THE KIDS
Americans Travel to Cuba with It's Just The Kids Inc. to Join Cuban Families to Build Playgrounds April 2003 (Newstream) -- On May 17 a Boeing 717 charter aircraft will leave BWI Airport in Baltimore with an expected 100 enthusiastic volunteers who will travel to the controversial island of Cuba to participate in an unprecedented project to build three playgrounds in one week for the children of Havana. These volunteers will join local Cuban families to assemble and install new swing sets, climbing structures, crawling tubes, triple twists, turbo towers, infant playhouses and many more pieces of the latest playground equipment. This project was the idea of a west coast real estate entrepreneur, Bill Hauf, who, three years ago, formed a nonprofit foundation, It's Just The Kids Inc., for the purpose of fulfilling the unrealized dreams of Cuban children. Mr. Hauf's organization has joined hands with UNICEF to construct three brand new playgrounds in record time utilizing American volunteers joined in friendship with Cuban family members who live in the neighborhoods, where these playgrounds will be located. No PlayStation or Nintendo for these children, only simple conventional playground equipment that will take these children off traffic filled streets to the safety of a brand new public playground. It is a quarter-million dollar project and a four-year effort to obtain approvals from both governments. Cuba may be miles apart in geography, but for one short week, through the first of several efforts of caring people and a common goal, the people, if not the countries, will have gotten a little closer. The volunteers will arrive on the Saturday morning, head for their hotel for a quick check-in, light lunch and then across Havana Harbor to the neighborhood of Regla to start digging post holes and pouring concrete for the first of the three playground sites. Language may be a barrier for some but no lack of translation can hide the joy of friendship as two cultures meet and make new friends and form new bonds that perhaps will transcend generations. In the evenings, the group will enjoy Cuban family hospitality and listen to Cuban music, savor Cuban food, maybe see a ballet or baseball game and learn more about Cuban culture and real life in modern day Havana. The week will conclude with ribbon cutting ceremonies and a farewell celebration dinner on Friday night where Cuban families will join with their American counterparts for an exchange of addresses and a plethora of thank you's and mutual gratitude for such a rewarding experience. Bill Hauf says that they are still signing up volunteers and anyone who would like to contribute a week of their time to this great effort should visit www.itsjustthekids.org or call 858/481-1955. It's Just the Kids Inc. is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to the needs of Cuban children. It's goal is to help the children of Cuba by providing safe playground equipment in family neighborhoods to enhance the emotional, physical and psychological quality of these children's lives. --------------- |
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