Yao and His Foundation help rebuild Houston Playgrounds

Not sure if this belongs in the GARM but I thought this was a nice story about Yao and his foundation doing something great for the City of Houston.

We need more Yao Mings in this world...





http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/moms/6724123.html

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A HELPING HAND
Yao rebuilding 4 playgrounds damaged by Ike
By RENÉE C. LEE Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle
Nov. 16, 2009, 11:18PM1 2

Mayra Beltran Chronicle
The pre-school class at Walker's Day Care will soon have lots of things to play with on their playground.



The swing set and merry-go-round were uprooted, and the tricycles were damaged by Hurricane Ike in October 2008. The children now go to a playground in the park across the street to burn off bottled-up energy.

“Everything was just blown away,” said owner Loretta Walker. “We were trying to replace some things, but it's never been like it was.”

The center will get a new natured-based playground early next year with help from Houston Rockets player Yao Ming. The Yao Ming Foundation today will announce the donation of more than $100,000 to restore storm-damaged playgrounds at four Houston early education centers next year.

The other centers are Sunnyside Head Start Center, Sharp Early Childhood Development Center and the Chinese Community Center.

Yao said he wanted to help the schools because he has a connection with the people in the Houston area.

“The hurricane hit Texas,” Yao said. “Galveston still has not totally recovered. I'm very close to local people. They treat me like family, and I want to give back.”

The Collaborative for Children, a local nonprofit group that works to improve education for children, will receive the foundation grant and organize construction efforts. The playgrounds will be built one at a time and work will begin in January, said collaborative director Carol Shattuck. The last playground should be complete by May, she said.

“When the collaborative told us the Ming Foundation was funding a new playground and (the Collaborative for Children) were coming to do everything for us, we were ecstatic and excited about it,” Walker said. “It's a blessing.”

For the past year, the collaborative has helped 331 local early education centers with hurricane recovery, using nearly $2 million from various groups. About $500,000 was used for outdoor and playground repairs.

Meadows and flowers
The Yao Ming grant will enable the organization to “do totally new environments,” Shattuck said.

In addition to traditional equipment, the playgrounds also will include meadows with natural grasses and flowers, gardens, butterfly areas and places where children can dig and explore. The centers will have an opportunity to incorporate nature into the curriculum and involve children in more interesting activities, she said.

Yao tours schools
Children sometimes get bored with playground equipment, Shattuck said. Research shows when children are given a chance to explore on their own with nature, they get more out of the outdoor experience, she said.

This summer, Yao toured two local schools with nature-based playgrounds before deciding to give money to the organization, said Stephanie Sandler, who helped Yao establish the foundation. The playground projects meshed with his foundation's mission to promote education and opportunities for children, said Sandler, senior vice president for The Giving Back Fund, which helps athletes and celebrities create foundations.

Yao established the foundation last year following the earthquake in China to help rebuild schools crumbled by the disaster. Five schools have been built and more school construction projects are in the works, Sandler said.

“I like to help people,” Yao said. “It's what I learned from my parents. As I get more famous, I have more responsibility. Obviously, the earthquake in China really affected me because this is my home and these are my people.”

The foundation is in discussions about long-term goals for additional projects in China and in the U.S. and Houston, Sandler said.

An inaugural benefit is scheduled Jan. 30, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston to raise money for the foundation. The museum will receive some of the proceeds to support its new Arts of China gallery."