Kids volunteer to make over playground in 6 hours

An Orlando apartment complex, formally known as The Palms, and plagued by past violence is getting some much needed attention.

It’s an ambitious goal -- volunteers donated their hands and hearts to build a new playground at the complex with hundreds of kids.

Their goal was to finish the playground in six hours or less.

From hammers to drills gallons of paint and hundreds of hands, over 200 volunteers from a number of local organizations came together to build a new and safe playground at the Windsor Cove Apartment Complex.

The complex is home to hundreds of kids with many families on a fixed income.

This projects replaces the previous playground that was 15 years old.

"We've seen it through the rough times, and now you can see a culmination of a lot of hard work from a lot of people in the community, it's come together today, " said volunteer Robert Piezon.

The playground begins at a map of the United States and when it's finished it will run all the way down the middle of the apartment complex and will be 2,500 square feet.

"I think it's wonderful. The kids need somewhere better to play,” said volunteer Teala Tyler.

And just as impressive, it’s a one day project.

The group gave themselves just six hours, from start to finish.

"It sounds very ambitious, but when you have over 200 people willing to give their time it makes things a lot easier," said Adam Arata.

The volunteers includes dozens of teenagers and young kids, helping to give back to other children in the community.

"It's a big thing. Not a lot of teenagers would take their time on a weekend to go out and help people so it's a good experience for them.  It's a good thing for them to do," said volunteer Haley Thorne.

"I think it's awesome.  I think it's great.  We're so proud of having everyone out here," said volunteer Joe Pietzyk.

The project was led by the non-profit organization KaBOOM.

The playground is funded through a $65,000 grant from The Home Depot Foundation along with a $7,500 contribution from the Hopes & Dreams Team, Windsor Cove Tenant Association & Cambridge Management.