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NJ firefighter honors Newtown victims by building playgrounds

The playgrounds reflect the personalities of the victims and their siblings are made special “foremen” on construction days to help them heal

A retired firefighter is restoring a sense of place and helping communities heal by building playgrounds dedicated to each of the 26 Newtown, Conn. shooting victims in areas devastated by Superstorm Sandy. In the audio below, former New Jersey Capt. Bill Lavin explains what inspired him to launch The Sandy Ground: Where Angels Play.

NPR.org

NEWTOWN, Conn. — New Jersey firefighter Capt. Bill Lavin is building 26 playgrounds for each of the 26 victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, in communities that were hit hard by superstorm Sandy last year.

It’s part of his project called The Sandy Ground: Where Angels Play. Two of the playgrounds are being built in New Jersey this week.

The playgrounds reflect the personalities of the victims, and Lavin says the young siblings of the first graders killed at the school last year are made special “foremen” on the day of playground construction, to help them heal.

Full story: Playgrounds For Newtown Victims Built In Sandy-Struck Towns