Local firefighter, students help rebuild Gulf Coast school’s playground

Lawrence schoolchildren participated in the Pennies for Playground effort to restore play areas at Hurricane Katrina-damaged schools. Graf Avenue resident Paul Palombi joined other New Jersey firefighters in building a playground in Mississippi.

By: Lea Kahn Staff Writer
   When Lawrence resident Paul Palombi’s two children come home from school, they can play in the yard, they can ride their bicycles or they can walk to the playground at the Slackwood Elementary School.
   Until last month, the children who attend the North Bay Elementary School in Bay St. Louis, Miss., had nowhere to play. The school’s playground was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
   But thanks to the efforts of career firefighters from around New Jersey and money raised by schoolchildren statewide, the Mississippi children have a new playground, said Mr. Palombi, who works for the Trenton Fire Department as a firefighter.
   The Graf Avenue resident was among 20 firefighters who traveled to Bay St. Louis, Miss., last month to help build the new playground. Two Mercer County firefighters also took part in the weeklong effort — Trenton Fire Department Capt. Michael Candelori and Mercerville Fire Co. Capt. Mark Kandrac, according to Mr. Palombi.
   Lawrence Township elementary school students raised more than $1,000 through the "Pennies for Playgrounds" campaign to help pay for a new playground for the Mississippi school, he said.
   The new playground, which cost $100,000, consists of the usual playground equipment — sliding boards, swing sets and monkey bars, plus a basketball court and a rock-climbing wall. It also includes a "play" fire truck — replacing one that had been part of the original playground set, Mr. Palombi said.
   The tab for the new playground was picked up by the New Jersey State Firemen’s Mutual Benevolent Association, the Save the Children Foundation and Mercycorps, he said. The NJFMBA and Mercycorps contributed $25,000 each, and the Save the Children Foundation matched it to raise $100,000.
   The link between the New Jersey firefighters and the Mississippi children was forged in the days after the Sept. 11 terror attacks that killed 343 Fire Department of New York firefighters, Mr. Palombi said.
   Children from the Mississippi school wrote to the Elizabeth Fire Department to offer their support to the firefighters in the aftermath of the terror attacks. The fire chief of the Elizabeth Fire Department wrote back to the children and told them that if they ever needed help, they should contact the fire department, Mr. Palombi said.
   "Unfortunately, five years later, the school got hit by Hurricane Katrina," Mr. Palombi said.
   That’s when Elizabeth Fire Department firefighter Bill Lavin, president of the NJFMBA, jumped into action. He wrote back to the North Bay Elementary School children and told them that the firefighters were ready to go to Mississippi to help their community, Mr. Palombi said.
   In February, a small group of NJFMBA members traveled to Bay St. Louis to deliver flour, sugar, cooking oil and bread to the residents, Mr. Palombi said. After the firefighters dropped off the food, they visited the North Bay Elementary School, he said.
   When the firefighters saw the lack of a playground, they discussed building a new one for the children, he said. They visited each classroom with a catalogue of playground equipment and, based on the children’s choices, arranged for the new playground to be built.
   To generate money to pay for the playground, the firefighters’ association launched the statewide fundraising campaign. The "Pennies for Playground" campaign was suggested by the daughter of Elizabeth Fire Department Battalion Chief Bobby Lavin, who attends the Middletown Township school district, Mr. Palombi said.
   The Lawrence Township school district was the second one to join the campaign, which is geared toward children, Mr. Palombi said. The Ewing, Hamilton, Middletown and Elizabeth school districts are among others that have raised money through the campaign, he added.
   With the money in hand and the playground equipment on the ground in Mississippi, the 20 firefighters flew to Bay St. Louis on April 23, he said. They worked for one week, from dawn to dusk, to complete the project, he added.
   "It was hot, but the guys pitched right in," Mr. Palombi said. They were pleased with the amount of progress they had made on the first day, and completed the project in a week’s time. They returned home May 1.
   "There are 5,500 members in the NJFMBA, and I would say there are 5,500 guys who would like to go to Mississippi (to help) — especially when we showed them some pictures and told them what was going on," he said.
   The Bay St. Louis children love to play and have fun, but when they look at their school building, it is a reminder of what they have lost, Mr. Palombi said. The North Bay Elementary School was destroyed by the hurricane, and the children attend classes in portable trailers, he said.
   "They are remarkable people," he said. "They don’t complain. They keep trying to pick up their lives. (Firefighter) Bill Lavin said, ‘When you come back from Mississippi, you have no problems.’"