FORT BRAGG, N.C. - Children living in Bougainville and Corrigedor Courts will soon have a new place to play thanks to a $50,000 grant from Lowe's Charitiable and Educational Foundation to the Fort Bragg USO.

The grant will build two playgrounds in the neighborhood on LeBlanc Street.
Command Sgt. Maj. Samuel B. Campbell, Fort Bragg garrison command sergeant major; representatives from Lowe's; John Falkenberry, USO of N.C. president; Sir Purr from the Carolina Panthers; and neighborhood residents, Mary Jane Bravo and her daughter, Raelin Jane Bravo, 4, broke ground for the playground during a ceremony Tuesday.

Renee Lane, the Fort Bragg USO director, said that the playgrounds will include slides, tree and rock climbers, ladders and other playground essentials.

"This neighborhood is in need of playgrounds," said Lane. "There are a total of three playgrounds in the Corregidor Courts/Bougainville neighborhood serving about 700 Families. The new playgrounds will benefit more than 70 Families and more than 150 children."

As one of the children benefiting from the playground, Raelin said that she is excited about having a playground almost in her backyard.

"When my sister gets home from school, I'm going to tell her we're building a playground. She doesn't know. And I'm going to tell her I got to meet a big cat," Raelin said. The big cat was Sir Purr, who gave her an autograph and helped her with her shovel during the ceremony. Raelin kept shoveling after the initial groundbreaking, seemingly anxious for her new playground to get built.
"This is pretty exciting, isn't it'," Raelin's mom asked her before the ceremony. "You get to be a part of making your own playground."

Campbell said that this playground was important because it helps relieve the stress of Families, who face the challenges of deployments as much as their Soldiers do.

"It's things like this that make Fort Bragg a better place and make us a much better Army," he said.

The playground should be complete by the end of December and there will be a ribbon cutting ceremony in January.