Thermal church needs your votes to help win contest to build city’s first playground

A Thermal church is a finalist in a contest that would give them funds to help build the city’s first public playground.

Christ is Salvation Church in Thermal is a finalist for a $20,000 grant from the Dr Pepper and Snapple Group and a nonprofit called Kaboom that believes “play matters for all kids”

The church used to have a playground but it was from the 1950’s and deemed unsafe for children to play on.

According to the church, it would cost around $40,000 to build a new playground and winning half through the contest will be a much-needed start.

“Playtime outdoors is really important. It’s something you see less and less nowadays. Our kids need it for health, it helps them interact better socially, helps them to learn better, gets them not so stressed, it relieves stress and it helps families in general,” said Pastor Anell Cano.

The church needs to get the most votes by June 23 in order to win.

You can vote for “Christ is Salvation Church” on Facebook.com/LetsPlay