Blind Hope Springbok Community Service Project This community service project aims to repair and give life to an existing playground at the Athlone School for the blind. Many of the children at the Athlone school for the blind are boarders, who stay at the school for three months at a time. These children do not have the possibility to play on their play structure, due to rotting wood, protruding nails and broken equipment. These children are no different to any other children, and many can see to some extent. Without a play structure, they have nothing to do for months, and can become quite bored. While I was at the school, I spoke to some of the children who were around the age of seven, and I asked them what they thought of the play structure being fixed. Needless to say, they were ecstatic. I was hugged and shouted at and they went to fetch their friends so I could tell them about what I was doing. This alone was more than enough motivation. The impact it could make on 5 children is huge, let alone close to five hundred. Goals and Objectives In terms of unquantifiable objectives, I hope to give children a safe and beautiful environment to play in, whilst exposing scouts to a different world, with people who are disabled. In terms of quantifiable objectives, I want to:  Add colour to the play area  Add additional items to the play structure  Build a path on the inside of the play area  Add a rail on the outside of the play area to fence it off, but also for it to act as a guide rail  Fix the Swings  Remove all hazards  Add matting on the floor  Add an interactive mural to one of the walls  Build a treehouse  Build a gateway Project Breakdown The project can be broken down into seven elements, briefly explained below: E1 – Surface: This element is focused on fixing up the uneven surface of the playground by levelling it and the paving it/filling it with mulch E2 – Wall: This element deals with the seven grey panels of wall behind the Jungle Gym. We will paint them each with a distinctive design, saving the last one for a scout emblem and a list of sponsors E3 – Jungle Gym: This element is the renovation of the main play structure found in the playground. It involves stripping, sanding, repairing and painting the Jungle Gym, as well as adding new features. E4 – Bench: This is a minor element aiming to build a simple yet pretty bench for the teachers to sit on while supervising the children playing in the playground E5 – Treehouse: A relatively large element of the project, involves building a treehouse in the tree next to the Jungle Gym. E6 – Railings: This element is geared to installing a railing next to the walkway passing the playground, so that children can navigate safely past the playground E7 - Gateway: A small element, is just to bring a small touch of scouting to the whole affair by building a simple permanent gateway at the entrance to the playground. For the complete breakdown of the project, visit bendali.co.za . The project is meant to take place over seven Saturdays, culminating in a Total amount of time of 77 hours.