Volunteers build playground at Y camp

Two hundred volunteers showed up last week to build a racing-themed playground in six hours at the YMCA of Greater Nashua's Camp Sargent, in Merrimack, N.H.

In the first week, about 300 children have used the 6,000-square-foot play space, whose design is based on drawings by children who attend the camp, said Michael LaChance, chief executive officer of the YMCA of Greater Nashua.

The playground is part of the Racing to Play program, which aims to help at-risk children who live in 10 NASCAR race communities. The workday was timed to coincide with last weekend's race in Loudon. The program is a partnership of The Home Depot, Joe Gibbs Racing, and KaBoom!, a national nonprofit organization that promotes the building of playgrounds around the country.

``I am very pleased with the project. It's great to see the kids enjoying the new playground," LaChance said.

MEG VILLENEUVE