Toro Hosts an Extreme Makeover of the Playful Kind

Building curious minds is always a big part of the project. For five consecutive years, The Toro Co. has teamed up with the Minnesota Vikings and KaBOOM! to build new playgrounds for Twin Cities communities in need of a fun and safe outdoor play environments. Not only is the company constructing essential facilities for children, but they’re also building a community bond that promotes kinship with the next generation of Toro users.  

“This whole process started about two months ago with Toro and its direct interaction with the students on the planning day,” said Mark Bonine, principal at Nellie Stone Johnson Community School. “Toro was there every step of the way, and every employee showed how dedicated they were to community involvement. You could tell how excited the [Toro employees] were to be there.”

On June 4, more than 250 volunteers from participating organizations and the community joined together to construct a new, contemporary playground at Nellie Stone Johnson Community School in North Minneapolis during a one-day build event. The playground features brightly colored slides, a giant tire swing and many other student-inspired elements. The design was chosen based on input from the children, who drew their dream playgrounds for planners at a Design Day in March.

“For the community, this is a great event where local organizations partner with area residents to have a lasting impact on our youth,” said Judson McNeil, president of The Toro Foundation. “Promoting healthy activities on the playground is an extension of the classroom and important for quality education.”

KaBOOM! is a non-profit organization that aims to improve play throughout America. It supplies new and innovative playground equipment for disadvantaged areas. Toro contributed to half the cost of the playground, and many build-day supplies were donated by community businesses. Another valuable partner in the event was the YMCA Beacons program, which serves over 2,500 students and families in North, Northeast and South Minneapolis areas by providing students with after-school and summer development programming in a safe atmosphere.

The build day began with opening remarks at 8:30 a.m. followed by a quick stretch with Vikings cheerleaders. Then the build began with all volunteers working feverously until around noon when the Vikings players, coaches and staff arrived to help put the finishing touches on the playground and interact with students. When construction was complete, the students came out to admire their new playground and take part in the student-made ribbon cutting ceremony.