Swings, slides and other equipment retired from McKinney parks are finding new life on playgrounds in Africa and Europe.
The city is partnering with Project Playground, a Houston-based business that takes playground equipment that's being retired or demolished and refurbishes it before relocating it to new homes overseas.
Earlier this year a play structure from McKinney's Fitzhugh Park was recently refurbished and sent to Africa where it's now being loved by 1,400 elementary school children in Zambia.
"Following the addition of a playground on our property, we have noticed that school children come earlier than usual to school just to have more time to play. It has improved attendance and punctuality in schools where we hardly have any absenteeism," said Matimba, who works at the Nakowa Primary & Secondary School in Zambia.
Get DFW local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC DFW newsletters.
McKinney is donating equipment from six more parks, including Hill Top, A. Hardy Eubanks, Jr., Dr. Charles McKissick, Finch, W.B. Finney, and Serenity parks, which will be refurbished and sent overseas.
"Part of our mission as the Parks and Recreation Department is to connect people to spaces that allow them to build strong relationships, improve overall wellbeing, and foster inclusiveness. This is a tangible way we can use our resources to do that not just in McKinney, but in another part of the world," said Michael Kowski, director of parks and recreation. "We want to be the model for others to follow, and this is a great way we can be good stewards of our resources and continue to enhance the quality of life in McKinney and even around the globe."
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
The city said the playground from Eubanks Park is heading to Romania while the play structure and swings from Finch Park will go to Botswana.
