A couple weeks ago, we told you about our partnership with KaBOOM! and Youth UpRising to build a playground for the kids of East Oakland, CA. We had more than a hundred volunteers and just about 5 hours to get it all done… and we did it!

The day started with some presents! We all got Sonic hats, t-shirts, and water bottles to help keep the spirit of Sonic going throughout the build day. After some breakfast, we did some warm up stretches. Building a playground is hard work! Sonic came to the warmup session to say hello and cheer everyone on.

This is what the build site looked like when we got started. There were holes already dug for the playground equipment to go in. But that was it — everything else we’d be doing that day. Oh, and did I mention that almost no power tools were allowed? A drill was used to put together the picnic area, but other than that, everything was done by hand.

We were each assigned to teams, and each team was given a task to complete. I was on team Sonic (yeah!) and we were in charge of moving the mulch. How much mulch? Two whole truckloads. In case you are wondering what two truckloads of mulch looks like, this is it.

This is team mulch, getting ready to bring the first wheelbarrows full on to the build site.

While we were busy moving mulch, another team (which Julian and Kate were on) was busy mixing and pouring cement. All in all, there were over 10,000 pounds of cement mixed and poured (by hand!) for the playground.

Still other teams were in charge of putting together the playground elements.

Within just a few hours, the first parts of the playground were up.

Next to the build, there was also a Sonic mural being painted by some of SEGA’s art team as well as some of the kids from the art classes at Youth UpRising.

By the end of the day, the playground was completed. We just needed to even the mulch out, and it would be time for the ribbon cutting ceremony!

The mural was just getting the finishing touches as well.

Just a few hours later, and it was time for the ribbon cutting ceremony.

It was a ton of hard work, but we’re so excited about what we were able to accomplish in such a short period of time. We hope the kids of East Oakland enjoy their playground for many years to come!

For more photos of our build day, check out our Flickr.