In 2020, Princess Meadow’s Playground at The Chabad of Coral Springs opened. {Jeff Goldman}
By Kevin Deutsch
A playground honoring Meadow Pollack at Chabad of Coral Springs will expand to roughly twice its current size to give children more room to play.
Meadow’s Playground, dedicated to the beloved 18-year-old slain in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, will grow in size in addition to getting new playground equipment, according to Rabbi Avraham Friedman of Chabad of Coral Springs. The expansion is happening thanks to an additional $50,000 donated by the Pollack family, Friedman said.
Located on the southwest side of the Chabad of Coral Springs on University Drive, Meadow’s Playground opened in 2020 thanks to funding through the Pollack family’s nonprofit Meadow’s Movement.
The Pollack family has attended Chabad for many years, and their relationship with Friedman deepened after the 2018 school shooting. The attack killed Meadow Pollack and 16 others.
Freidman “has been monumental in helping us with guidance through our grief,” Hunter Pollack said. He added that his family visited the playground on Shabbat, the Jewish sabbath, and saw large numbers of kids playing joyfully there.
“That’s exactly the way we wanted Meadow to be remembered. We didn’t want people to go to the cemetery in sadness. We wanted children to play on a playground that was built in memory of her and families to create memories around that playground.”
Pollack said his family “knew that [the playground] needed to be doubled in size to keep up with the number of kids that were going.”
“The expansion is happening so that no child feels left out when they’re playing on that playground, and there’s enough space and enough equipment for everyone to enjoy in Meadow’s memory.”
Pollack said his sister was “a beautiful young Jewish girl and it was very important to us that she continue to have strong Jewish roots, whether she’s here or not.”
A second playground honoring Meadow Pollack, Princess Meadow’s Playground, opened at Betti Stradling Park in 2020.
For the Chabad playground expansion, new equipment has been ordered, and a fence line has already been moved back as part of the project, Pollack said.
Friedman said the timeline for opening the new playground area depends on equipment production and installation.
“We are eager and excited to have it done as quickly as possible,” said the rabbi. “We’re broadening the age group that can enjoy the playground.”
He said the Pollack family is “always in our hearts and minds, and the dedication of the Pollack family to create an atmosphere where children love to come to play – and the combination of nurturing of body and soul – is a beautiful way to honor Meadow.”
Those who wish to make additional donations toward the playground expansion can do so through the Chabad of Coral Springs website. Donors should use the donation button at the top of the site, which says “Meadow’s Playground at Chabad.”
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Author Profile
- Kevin Deutsch is an award-winning crime journalist and author. A graduate of Florida International University, Kevin has worked on staff at The Miami Herald, New York Daily News, and The Palm Beach Post.
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