SANTA ANA, CA – In a densely populated, immigrant community with few, if any, recreational facilities, parents gathered on Saturday, December 17 for a Christmas celebration at the site of the new .6 acre park and community center (top left rendering).
The start of construction on the park is the happy progression of years of effort to bring much-needed recreational facilities to the 92701 zip code in downtown Santa Ana, Calif.
“Seeing the trucks come in to make our park is a dream come true,” said resident Edith Melchor, a member of the group, Parents with Green Hearts, which lobbied for the park’s creation. “The park under construction makes it a real Christmas now.” The group also put their wishes for health on a Christmas tree on the barren land, which will be a completed park by summer.
“This land is more than dirt. This land is the dream of ten years for our community to have a place where our children can play,” said Latino Health Access CEO America Bracho (middle right photo). The park began after one mother brought the idea to Latino Health Access. Since then, parents have joined to form Parents with Green Hearts.
The $3.6 million park is being built by Latino Health Access, on land leased from the City, with the commitment and assistance of many community partners in planning, designing and moving the project forward. The park is historic as the first community-driven recreational and educational public space of its kind promoting health and wellness in a resource-challenged community.
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., its design-build partner TAYLOR and St. Joseph Health System have donated more than 2,000 hours of architectural and preconstruction services. Moreover, McCarthy will provide construction services at a discounted rate to Latino Health Access through its community volunteer group, the McCarthy Heart Hats.
For more information on the companies, please visit http://www.mccarthy.com/ and http://www.taa1.com/.
Contact: Laura Mickelson, (949) 453-0851 / LauraMickelson@cox.net
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