Volunteers with Kingdom for Kids and the Downtown Rotary are building a two-day play space for families working toward stability at the YWCA’s residential campus.
SAN ANTONIO — Dozens of volunteers spent Friday transforming an empty lot at the YWCA Women’s Live & Learn Center on the west side into a new playground and garden for mothers and children living on the residential campus.
The two-day build, led by the Downtown Rotary’s Kingdom for Kids initiative, will wrap up Saturday and provide a safe outdoor space for families working toward long-term stability.
Volunteers began construction early Friday morning at the center located on Castroville Road, where single mothers and their children live while completing school, workforce training, or rebuilding their lives. The project includes a playground, a reading theater, a memorial garden, landscaping, and a children’s playhouse.
“On the west side today, volunteers are helping build a playground and a garden at the YWCA’s Women’s Live and Learn Center to help kids find a safe place to play while their moms focus on work and their future,” a volunteer said.
Kingdom for Kids founder Rick Cavender said the project is part of a larger, decades-long effort to create outdoor learning environments in underserved communities across San Antonio.
“We are bringing lots of volunteers to work here at the YWCA Live and Learn Center,” Cavender said. “We’re also building playgrounds, reading theaters… we’re doing a memorial garden… these are two-day projects. Since those days, Rotarians and volunteers partnering with City Year have built 28 playgrounds in San Antonio inner city schools, libraries, community centers, and now the YWCA.”
Cavender said the site was chosen with help from the Najim Charitable Foundation, which supports the YWCA’s work with young mothers.
YWCA San Antonio CEO Francesca Rattray said the new playground will serve both families living at the center and children from the surrounding community once the early childhood education center opens.
“YWCA San Antonio is the site of our residential buildings serving single women and their children,” Rattray said. “The new construction is an onsite childcare… because childcare is so important to get people to work and to fuel the economy.”
Rattray emphasized that access to safe childcare and outdoor play is essential for a family’s long-term economic stability — something many women at the center are striving for.
Dozens of volunteers from the Cavender Auto Family, the Downtown Rotary, and City Year San Antonio joined the project. Many said they participate every year because these builds directly impact families who don’t often receive community investment.
“It’s an amazing thing that our company gives so much to the community… we always talk about making kindness happen,” said volunteer Lillian Allard of Audi Dominion. “It’s just part of our kindness.”
Construction continues Saturday morning with an opening ceremony scheduled for 8:30 a.m. The playground is expected to be completed by early afternoon, giving children living on-site a brand-new space to learn, explore, and build connections.
For the mothers who live at the Live & Learn Center, the project represents much more than a play area — it’s a symbol of hope, stability, and a community willing to show up for them.