Hank Planger Playground update: Inspiring action and positive change

C. Davis, Pincher Creek Voice

Terri Robbins and Jessica Parker appeared before Pincher Creek's Town Council Monday, March 12 on behalf of Pincher Creek's "Let Them Be Kids" organization.  They showed Council the trailer (see below of) of the "Let Them Be Kids" documentary, which is going to be released to about 12 film festivals across Canada this summer, including Toronto and Calgary.  It was shown at the Projecting Change Film Festival in Vancouver, It will also be shown at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Air Canada wants to show it as one of their in-flight documentaries.

A free copy of the documentary will be distributed to every schoolboard and local government entity across Canada, amounting to more than 10,000 copies.

Let Them Be Kids (LTBK) is an non-profit organization that provides funding and support to communities that build skate parks, fitness parks, and playgrounds across Canada. LTBK matches funds raised locally towards such projects. This year LTBK will be funding 30 such projects. Pincher Creek's project was the Hank Planger Playground, which was constructed next to Saint Michael's School here in Pincher Creek.

"We began in January of 2010," said Robbins.  "We were amazingly successful.  In six months we raised more than $240,00, so we built that playground on June 26 of 2010."

"We just want to remind everybody that you were all part of that success," Robbins continued.  "It was a very exciting time for our community and for those of us who were directly involved in the project.  The amazing thing about the project was that even though we planned to build a playground we had no idea how that would also build our community.  We realized that we could accomplish so much more when we set out to do something together than one person could achieve alone.  No amount of money can ever pay for the rewards of working together for our kids."

In addition to the achievement of building the playground, Robbins also spoke of the thrill of honouring its' namesake.  "We were able to honour Mr. Hank Planger as our award hero, and that was unique because he was the only commmunity that ever honoured a living hero.  That has proven to be very meaningful in our community.  Our children even now are still asking for Mr. Planger. He has visited the school and spoke with the children and it's been really very inspiring."

"We kept going. We began phase two and had a second build day on June 18 of 2011.  The community raised an additional $30,000 at our final fundraiser."  Among the improvements of the second build was wheelchair accessibility.

Jessica Parker talked about the impact Pincher Creek's effort had on other communities.  "As you saw in the video, they interviewed a fellow from Newfoundland, and we were the project that was selected before theirs was," she said. "Theirs was a really depressed community with a lot of unemployment, just a lot of bad news happening in the neighborhood. They didn't think they would ever be able to mobilize the community and get people to donate anything and get theirs going," Parker continued.  They looked at our community, an we're smaller than their community...Ours was the largest project ever in the history of this grant.  We had the most volunteers...we had well past 300 on our first build day and the money just kept coming in. People kept donating, asking what they could do.  It was a moving experience."

"The main message of the movie is to remind people that ordinary people can do extraordinary things."

"Pincher Creek will receive free national and internation exposure from this film," said Parker.

There will be a free private showing of the movie here in Pincher Creek on June 10, according to Parker.

The trailer ends, appropriately, with a brief message from local organizer Jacqui Bruns.

Relevant links:
Let Them Be Kids Website
Let Them Be Kids Pincher Creek website