A Playground Comes to Life in Guanaja, Honduras

Play is the universal language of childhood, and through Little Tikes Commercial’s partnership with the nonprofit Kids Around the World, we have a special role in helping more children across the globe have access to safe play environments.

Like us, Kids Around the World is dedicated to the power of play. The organization has built playgrounds in war-torn and impoverished communities in more than 70 countries, fulfilling its mission to help children in orphanages, refugee camps, and poverty-stricken environments experience hope through play.

To make this vision a reality, Kids Around the World identifies commercial playgrounds in the U.S. that are scheduled for replacement  Then, they disassemble and refurbish them before shipping overseas, where they are rebuilt in communities in need.

Recently, members of the Little Tikes Commercial team traveled to Guanaja, Honduras, to help build a Kids Around the World playground at the Sport Center of Savannah Bight. Guanaja is one of the three Bay Islands located off the coast of Honduras. In October 2021, it experienced a devastating fire that destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses, and displaced residents.

Kids Around the World recognized the need to bring the gift of play to the children of Guanaja. Staff from the charity, and Little Tikes Commercial and nearly a dozen of our rep agencies flew to Honduras to install the playground. For some, like Joe Palermo, vice president of new product design at PlayPower, parent company of Little Tikes Commercial, this was their first experience on a Kids Around the World playground build.

After arriving on the island and seeing the location of the playground installation site, Palermo immediately recognized that the site, which was already home to a well-worn playground, needed some tender love and care to bring it to life. The existing equipment was damaged and rusty, but the potential of the location – and the need – was unmistakable. So, Palermo and his teammates got to work.

“On a typical day, we would show up early and rally everyone behind the goal for the day,” said Palermo, who added the more experienced reps/installers on the trip played an integral role in ensuring the site was laid out correctly and all volunteers had a role to play. “Those of us who were newer learned from those with more experience and there was plenty of ‘heavy lifting’ to go around – from digging holes, to erecting posts, to tightening nuts and bolts, to pouring concrete, and touching up pre-existing equipment. We worked until around 5 p.m., through the hotter hours of the morning and the afternoon.”

Brandy Todd, product manager for Little Tikes Commercial, also attended the trip, marking her first build with Kids Around the World. “Working with Little Tikes Commercial, I have always enjoyed the smiles kids have the first time they get to play on a playground and that feeling has tripled with this experience.”

The Honduran community’s involvement was a source of inspiration for the volunteers, as local children and adults were drawn to the site, offering help, and expressing their gratitude.

“The entire community rallied around the new build, and it was something special to behold,” Palermo said.

For our Little Tikes Commercial team, there is nothing quite like finishing a playground installation project, and especially one such as this. The playground completion was met with sheer joy. Children immediately took to the new equipment, their laughter and energy filling the air.

Palermo fondly reflected on a local man named Clay, whose words about the children having nothing else to do, nowhere else to go, underscored the profound need for a safe and fun play space.

“It made me realize just how badly the community needed this playground,” he said, adding a note of optimism about its lasting impact. “It gives the community a central place they can call home.”

For Todd, a highlight of the trip was witnessing the local community react to the new playground. “It was amazing to see how the kids already knew what to do with playground equipment they had never seen before.”

The new playground in Guanaja is more than a place for children to play. It’s a symbol of unity, joy, and the enduring spirit of a community that came together to create something wonderful. For Palermo and the team, the experience was a powerful reminder of the importance of play and the impact it can have on a community’s heart and soul.

“The Little Tikes Commercial and Kids Around the World teams really came together in this build,” Palermo said. “I see us doing amazing things together for years to come.”

*Photos courtesy of Kids Around the World.*