Emmett Township Park witnessed a remarkable transformation as community members gathered to build a brand-new, community-designed playground.
“Seeing this playground rise from the ground in just a few days, built by the hands of our own neighbors and friends, is something I will never forget,” said Carrie Kot, Emmett Township treasurer and build-week volunteer. “We didn’t just build a place for our kids to play; we built a foundation of community pride.”
This new playscape represents a massive leap forward for the township’s park revitalization efforts, continuing a shared commitment to creating vibrant, welcoming spaces that strengthen community connections. The playground also complements the momentum of the DNR Recreation Passport Grant awarded to Emmett Township earlier this year, continuing outdoor recreation enhancements that will serve generations of families.
Made possible through a partnership between Emmett Township, KaBOOM!, the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, and the Community Foundation of St. Clair County, this multi-day community build brought local families together to physically construct a playspace created by and for local kids.
Local Involvment and Rural Placemaking
What started as youthful drawings from local 4th grade students became a tangible reality. Over the course of three months, passionate members from the community met on Monday nights to turn these drawings into the park that came to life on Saturday, July 11th, 2026. From organizing team leads to designing activities for kids throughout the build, these Emmett Township residents created a community celebration on a construction site.
Community members, crew from AMPRO EBS, and crew from Done Right Masonry and Concrete volunteered for three days of site preparation mixing concrete, assembling equipment, moving mulch, and securing playground posts. Fronney’s Foods, Rose Scott, Sandy Reliford, and Carrie Kot kept the crews fueled with donated meals, snacks, and water.
“The best community projects are created with community. Local students designed this playground, generous partners believed in the vision, and this weekend neighbors came together to build something that will serve local families for decades,” said Scott Mueller, Chairman of the Emmett Township Parks Committee.
This playground acts as a powerful example of rural placemaking by bringing residents together to physically create the spaces they will use. By relying on volunteers, a sense of ownership arises and new relationships with fellow community members are built.
Connecting Resources
The Community Foundation has seen the best community projects happen when the right partners come together. By connecting experts like KaBOOM!, the generosity of the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation’s Built to Play initiative, and local leaders with the Foundation’s capacity-building support, ideas generated by community residents can become lasting investments in the places they call home.
“Whether it’s a playground, a trail, or a downtown gathering place, our role at the Foundation is to help create the partnerships that allow local ideas to become lasting community assets. That’s exactly what happened here in Emmett Township,” said Collin Holzberger, Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation Rural Fellow at the Community Foundation of St. Clair County.
The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation’s support for this playground is through its Built to Play initiative. The Wilson Foundation launched the initiative in 2018 in partnership with KaBOOM! and The Skatepark Project to help communities in Southeast Michigan and Western New York provide more safe and imaginative places for kids to play. To date, the $17 million initiative has supported the creation of nearly 100 play spaces and skateparks across its two regions. The final eight projects supported through Built to Play will be completed throughout 2025 and 2026, in coordination with local community foundations. (To learn more about the impact of this initiative, visit RWBuiltToPlay.org).
KaBOOM! is the national nonprofit committed to ending playspace inequity – the reality that quality places to play are not available to every child, especially in communities of color. Since 1996, KABOOM! has partnered with kids, communities, and public and private partners to transform 17,000+ playspaces, expanding access to the physical, mental, and social benefits of play for more than 12 million kids nationwide. As KaBOOM! celebrates its 30th year, the organization is focused on community-driven solutions through public-private partnerships, research, policy, and advocacy to elevate the current state of our kids and center youth voice in shaping equitable access to playspaces and nature. Together with partners across sectors, KaBOOM! is building the play infrastructure kids need to grow up happy and healthy for generations to come. Learn more at kaboom.org
For more information about the build or to support project like this in your community, contact Collin Holzberger at collin@stclairfoundation.org.