than a substantial upgrade. This is night and day - It will change lives." CLA leaders divided into critical teams to take on finances, design, logistics, marketing, communications, and safety. They met during and after school hours, and went above and beyond to accomplish a weighty project that could have easily overwhelmed a group of teenagers. They planned several days to build the play structures and were also responsible for a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony. According to Wilson Jones, junior and co-leader for the events and logistics team, “Once we had planned everything, and finally arrived at the campus, we worked in shifts throughout the day to complete the project. The entire 01 02 experience was challenging and pushed me to go outside of my comfort zone.” He had to work on the project around his school schedule, send emails to the entire student body, and approach businesses in the community to help pay for food for the build, and the ribbon cutting ceremony. "I'm just a high-schooler, and it was really scary to me," Jones said about asking for donations. The students didn't back away from the challenge and raised about $12,000 to cover the entire cost of the playground. In addition to asking area businesses for in-kind and monetary donations, the students received a micro-grant of $1,500 from Chick-fil-A and raised about $1,700 through a “Sweats Day” at the school. Students were permitted to wear sweats to school for one day in April for a minimum donation of $5 toward the project. IMPACT 2021 19
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