Building a New Play Yard for St. John’s Residence

By Tom Last

Recently I was invited to participate in a committee meeting at the St. John’s Residence for Boys (150 Beach 110th Street) regarding the building of a new play yard. I was greeted warmly at the door, by a staff member, and then meandered my way with other committee members, along a labyrinth of corridors and stairs to our meeting room destination. Participating in the meeting were a variety of representatives including – architects, construction managers, clergy from St. Francis de Sales, local educators, Graybeard members, St. John’s staff members, and most importantly, St. John’s Residents.

The objective of the meeting was to discuss St. John’s plans to revitalize their campus with a beautiful new play yard. The new space will feature a regulation basketball court, exercise equipment, an outdoor movie screen, a seating area for sunny classroom days and community events, and garden beds where the youth of St. John’s can connect to nature. This play yard will replace the current underutilized and dreary yard that now exists, where there is no shade, dried up grass, and a dilapidated basketball court and backboard across the street. I am especially excited about a proposed garden where the residents can learn responsibility and connect to nature.

The presentation was detailed and professional, as the St. John’s staff reviewed their vision of the construction of a vibrant and enriching space for the youth of St. John’s. During the meeting we heard some great ideas from many of the attendees on fundraising and support. With enthusiasm, one of the residents asked the builders “when do we break ground?”

St. John’s was founded in 1826 as a home for orphaned children, St. John’s Residence for Boys has evolved into a nonprofit social services agency that houses residential foster care and juvenile justice programs. St. John’s is dedicated to helping youth heal, grow and build the skills they need to achieve their goals. This play yard will have a positive effect on the residents as they play, learn, develop social-emotional skills, and just have fun!

The construction will be done in phases as funding becomes available. Phase I will include a regulation basketball court and an outdoor movie screen. Phase II – Outdoor exercise equipment, picnic area, outdoor classroom, and mini library. Phase III – Raised stadium seating, garden beds, and outdoor chess tables. The cost to build the play yard is steep (estimated $1.5M), however, the rewards from it will be much greater!

Paying for the construction of the play yard will require both corporate and residential donations, grants, and other types of fundraising. More information will be forthcoming, and a local fundraiser is being scheduled to help spread the word on this important neighborhood event. In the meantime, if you would like to help, you may contact the following SJR representative and use the link below to donate to the play yard.

SJR contact – Lauren Jacobsen/ 631-599-3157/jacobsel@lfchild.org

Donations and to learn more on the play yard plans go to – give.classy.org/STJPlayYard

Please keep an eye out for news on the upcoming meeting/fundraiser, where you can learn more on the play yard development and become part of this future success story.