Nearly 200 Volunteers Build a New Playground in a Single Day in Maryland

On May 26, 2026, the grounds of Cove Point Park in Lusby, Maryland buzzed with the energy of nearly 200 volunteers who had come together to do in one day what a community had spent 18 months planning: build a brand-new playground from the ground up. By the time the mulch was spread and the last bolt tightened, a stretch of the park that had held aging, outdated equipment was transformed into a vibrant space for the area's children. As The BayNet reported, the build was a true community effort, blending local employees, healthcare workers and neighbors into a single crew.

The project drew an unusually deep roster of partners. The Calvert County Department of Parks & Recreation worked with the national nonprofit KABOOM!, which specializes in community-built playgrounds, alongside Constellation Energy — which sent 60 to 70 employees — plus CalvertHealth Medical Center, local construction and home-improvement businesses, a regional Chick-fil-A and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield. The mix of corporate hands and neighborhood hands is exactly what these one-day builds are designed to harness.

“By the time the mulch was spread and the last bolt tightened, a stretch of the park that had held aging, outdated equipment was transformed into a vibrant space for the area's children.”

Crucially, the playground was shaped by the people who will use it. Design input came from community members, including children, so the finished space reflects what local kids actually wanted to play on, right down to sidewalk games along a newly paved pathway. "People are invested in their community and want to see this playground come together," said Amanda Stillwagon, the parks chief, describing the spirit of the day.

For some volunteers, the reward was immediate and personal. "It feels heartwarming," said 15-year-old Collin Curry. "It's nice to think that I helped build something people are going to love to use." That sentiment — the pride of having made something lasting for one's own neighbors, especially the youngest ones — is the quiet engine behind every community playground build. In a single day, a few hundred people turned planning into play, and gave the children of Lusby a place that the whole community can call its own.