Maryland, U.S.A. — A dream is now a reality for children in Mount Rainier, Maryland, as their drawings were turned into a new playground on June 30th. In less than eight hours, the play space was built with the help of more than 200 volunteers from Foresters, Thomas Stone Elementary School, Prince George’s County Public Schools and non-profit KaBOOM!. The new playground will serve more than 11,000 children and their families in the community for years to come.

“Foresters believes in providing opportunities for families to spend quality time together,” said Kasia Czarski, Foresters Senior Vice President, Chief Membership and Marketing Officer. “A playground is an important piece for the revitalization of a community. Not only does it provide a first step towards keeping children healthy, but it’s a safe, central location for the entire neighborhood to get together.”

Planning for the playground began at a Design Day event held in April when local children and community leaders met with organizers from KaBOOM! and Foresters to design their dream playground. The children’s drawings were then used to create the final playground design.

Since 2006, Foresters has invested over $7 million with KaBOOM! with almost 100 playgrounds built or planned across the U.S. and Canada. Over their 15 year lifespan, these playgrounds will provide more than 2.6 million children and their families with an opportunity to spend quality time together. Foresters is a KaBOOM! National Partner and a founding member of the KaBOOM! Leadership Circle – a group of organizations providing long-term guidance and support to KaBOOM! and its mission.

“What an exciting opportunity for the Mount Rainer community,” said Board of Education Member Amber Waller. “The revitalization of the Thomas Stone playground will provide a safe environment for our students and families to spend quality time.”

Thanks to the work of Foresters, Thomas Stone Elementary School, Prince George’s County Public Schools and KaBOOM!, children and their families now have a 2,500 square-foot playground to call home that includes features such as a Triple Racer Slide, a Rockblocks Climbing Wall and a 360 Degree Spiral Slide.

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Lindsay Lohan has been on her toes lately to defend herself from report that she has been neglecting her court ordered service at a Women’s Center in Los Angeles. Online celebrity gossip site TMZ.com reported Thursday that the Women’s Center had booted the 25-year-old star from their organization after she had failed to live up to her obligations.

As part of a probation deal after the troubled actress accepted a ‘no contest’ plea in her most recent scuffle with the law, Lohan was made to serve 360 hours at the LA Women’s Center. She was also ordered to complete therapy sessions. The case judge, Stephanie Sautner, made it very clear, according to DailyMail.co.uk, that a single failure to comply with the therapy sessions would be interpreted as a violation of her probation.

The reason why the starlet was kicked off the previous program is unconfirmed by her publicist but according to TMZ’s sources, Lohan had ‘blown off’ nine appointments at the Women’s Center and not fulfilled the 4 hour minimum when she had arrived, often leaving the facility after an hour.

In the past few weeks, Lohan has been tending to her celebrity life and making up for a dry spell in cinema by taking up fashion modeling. Her recent trip around Europe has left some in doubt whether she has been able to fulfill her legal obligations back in the US. At the Fashion Week in Milan, German designer Philip Plein revealed that Lohan would be the new face of his collection.

While in Paris for a photo shoot, Lindsey had told friends that she had cleared the trip with her therapist so she could attend remote sessions over the phone and that she had completed two 45 minute calls. According to TMZ, Lohan is under the impression that the probation department ‘has it in for her’ and wants to set an example of her by claiming that she is failing to comply with the court order.

On her WhoSay account, Lohan wanted to put an end to the speculations: “I am working hard and fulfilling my obligations every single day, to the court as well as myself [...] If I travel, its for work and its been approved. As is anything I do when I leave the state. I’d appreciate it if people will just let me do what is asked of me, so that I can get my life back.

Please ignore the reports which have no truth to them. Thank you.” The actress will continue her community service at the American Red Cross group in LA.

EdwinAC / Shutterstock.com

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While the Peace Corps has grown and developed drastically over its 50 years of existence, one thing has remained constant — the organization’s impact on the lives of its volunteers. In 1961, the year the Peace Corps was established, Earle Brooks, then 28, and his wife Rhoda, 26, left their home in Minnesota to serve in the small village of Manta, Ecuador, according to the Minneapolis StarTribune.

“Right from the beginning, we believed in the spirit of the Peace Corps,” Rhoda said. “We weren’t idealists. We knew that there were going to be hardships. But we didn’t look upon it as a sacrifice; we saw it as an opportunity.” She laughed before adding: “Well, maybe we were idealists.”

The StarTruibune said the young couple was prepared for the culture shock they’d feel upon arriving in Ecuador, but Rhoda said what they experienced “was almost surreal.” There was for example no water or sewer system in Manta. But the harsh conditions didn’t stop the young couple from falling in love with their new home and the people of Ecuador.

“It gave me a zest for life that I don’t think I would have realized had I just stayed in Minnesota,” Rhoda said of her Peace Corp experience. “The impact on our lives was not something we anticipated when we joined.” Earle and Rhoda adopted two children during their service – Rico was 4, and Carmen 2, by the time the couple returned with them to the United States, according to the StarTribune.

On September 22, 1961 Congress approved the creation of the Peace Corps, launching the movement to “promote world peace and friendship.” To date, the Peace Corps has had more than 200,000 volunteers serving in 139 countries. A more recent volunteer, Lauren, shared her Peace Corps experience on a blog she kept throughout her service in South America.

On September 29, 2004 Lauren’s first blog post is titled “Preparing for the adventure.” In the entry, Lauren expresses excitement to start her Peace Corps journey in Honduras beginning January 2005. “Now that I know where I am going, I have been slighly distracted since I absolutely must google every Honduras related thought that runs through my head.

Common Google searches include ‘Honduras what to pack’, ‘Honduras pictures’, ‘Honduras safety tips’, ‘Honduras scuba diving’, ‘Honduras peace corps stories,’” Lauren wrote. In 2008, after her service, Lauren posted a reflection on her time in Honduras, conveying how much the Peace Corps meant to her.

“I miss so many things about Peace Corps…the freedom, the rich experiences, the laughs, the adventures, the adoration, the humiliation, and everything that makes up a wonderful Peace Corps experience. If you are considering it – DO IT. I hope to do it again someday!”

Lauren is among the many Peace Corps volunteers who use blogs to document the sights, people, and events that comprise their two years away from home. On the online community, Peace Corps Journals, countless volunteers write about their experiences around the world.

Patricia’s latest entry, written on September 17, speaks about a Saturday morning in Bulgaria. “Today I wanted to go for my usual, longer weekend morning walk in search of treasure.” Her writing provides evidence that the Peace Corps experience enrich volunteers with new perspectives, simple admiration, and perhaps even greater introspection.

“This is the first time I’ve picked walnuts and hazelnuts off of trees. I never realized that walnuts grow inside a big green shell (kind of like coconuts do) or that hazelnuts are like peas in a pod…” To celebrate the accomplishments of Peace Corps and the many lives it has touched over the years, various events will take place Sept 21th through the 24th in Washington, D.C. 

According to the StarTribune, Earle and Rhoda Brooks knew they wanted to be apart of the big celebration. They have watched the Peace Corps grow into “one of the world’s most influential aid operations.” The couple plans to make the journey to D.C. to share with others how much the Peace Corp enriched their lives, 50 years ago.

If you would like to Volunteer, call the Peace Corps toll-free at 800.424.8580 to speak to a recruiter in your area. You can also apply now and get started on your application by going directly here: Join The Peace Corps

Image Courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/peacecorps/

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