Courtesy of Tilt-a-World

A Haitian child plays on the playground built by members of the Tilt-A-World team. The organization's mission is to build playgrounds for children throughout the world.

Courtesy of Tilt-a-World

Children play on the playground built by the Tilt-A-World team. It was built in an abandoned park in Cap-Haitien, a small city north of Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

| Mary Hardbarger

mary.hardbarger@roanoke.com, 381-1679

NARROWS -- Feb. 12 marked the one-month anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Haiti that killed an estimated 200,000 people and displaced millions more.

And while aid in the form of food, water and shelter continues to pour into the impoverished country, one group is working to provide a different kind of relief.

On Jan. 16, the Rev. Dan Kelly of New Valley Fellowship in Narrows and eight others traveled to Haiti as part of the Tilt-A-World organization.

Founded by Kelly in 2006, Tilt-A-World's mission is to build playgrounds for children throughout the world. The philosophy behind the organization -- "to let kids be kids," Kelly said.

"We're not Bill Gates ... we're not Oprah Winfrey," he said.

"We can't build a hospital, we can't build a school, but we can do something that makes kids happy, that makes them laugh."

Each playground is 50-by-25 feet and costs about $5,000 to build. The goal is to build two playgrounds on each trip, and they've already been erected in Ukraine, Romania, Africa and other locations, Kelly said.

In the past, they have been purchased by various churches and one by the Leir Foundation -- a private grant foundation out of New York City.

For future trips, Kelly hopes that businesses or individuals able to financially support this type of endeavor will sponsor a playground to be built by Tilt-A-World.

All other expenses, including airfare and lodging, are paid out-of-pocket, Kelly said.

On the most recent Haiti trip, it cost each of the nine volunteers about $1,500.

The team, made up of church members and friends, arrived in Cap-Haitien, a small city north of Port-au-Prince, on the Saturday after the earthquake.

On a normal trip, Kelly said the lumber would have already been delivered to the site once the team arrived. But because of the extraordinary circumstances, it was still miles away.

Paul Archibald, a Haitian hired by the team to help, was able to leave Port-au-Prince the Sunday after the earthquake to deliver the lumber.

On the way, his truck broke down in the middle of a very rough section of the country, with $11,000 worth of lumber strapped to the back.

What would have been a relatively easy seven-hour trip for Archibald, turned into a three-day journey, Kelly said.

In fear that the lumber would be stolen, Archibald hired a few men off the street to help guard the lumber until help arrived.

He finally reached the site Wednesday, and the team went straight to work.

Because of the delay, they were able to construct only one playground at an abandoned park.

Bryan Pruett, a member of the team and a Narrows native, had never built a playground with Tilt-A-World before.

It was his first trip with the team and first trip to Haiti -- an experience he said opened up his eyes to a type of poverty he had never witnessed before.

"There was no infrastructure there [in Haiti], no jobs, no industry," Pruett said. "I really started to think, 'Where would you even begin here?' "

He was amazed at the amount of people willing to help build, even if just for a small amount of money.

Many had to be turned away, Pruett said. "That was tough."

Although both Pruett and Kelly agreed that it may seem "weird" to others, to build a playground in the middle of so much poverty and strife, they were making a positive impact on the people.

Kelly said as soon as the playground was erected, the energy changed among the families and, especially, the children.

"The park came to life," Kelly said. "After losing so much hope, these people now have something to take pride in, something that will hopefully grow into something much more."

Kelly foresees the people in the community who live near the playground protecting the site and possibly even building up around it.

Kelly and two others, including Pruett, have pledged to return to the area March 19 but right now lack the financial support to go.

Their goal would be to build two more playgrounds there, both at orphanages.

Although Kelly is in the process of planning a few fundraising events to bring the next trip to fruition, he hopes the community will step up and contribute to a great cause, one he says has brought hope to many lives.