Many hands generally make light work. But even with 165 pairs of them, it's no easy task to mix 16,000 pounds of concrete and lay down a mountain of mulch in a single day, all while building a state-of-the-art playground.
But the scores of volunteers who showed up at North Valley School Wednesday did just that, mostly with smiles on, despite working next to ankle-lapping muck and under the occasional shower.
"They need all the help they can get," said George Davis, a local contractor who saw the morning's respite from heavy rain as a higher endorsement. "It was just meant to happen today."
North Valley is private non-profit tucked in an industrial cul-de-sac in Santa Rosa that many people have never hard of. But for years, it's provided education and mental health services to children from public districts around the state.
Most of its 48 students live at a related treatment center, a quarter are deaf, and virtually all have some form of post-traumatic stress disorder, executive director Gala Goodwin said.
The school provides a rare level of service. But until Wednesday, it did not offer what most school kids would consider essential - a playground.
Students have made do with a couple of basketball hoops, a four-square court and a playing field, and even that last option came close to disappearing.
For more than a decade, the school has used the field with the blessing of its owner, the 7-Up distributing plant next door.
Last year, though, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, which owns 7-UP, put the land up for sale - the playing field included.
The school did not have the money to buy the land, and when Goodwin first floated the idea of a donation, the listing agent just laughed.
But the idea apparently floated up the corporate ladder. Dr Pepper couldn't donate the land for tax reasons, the company told her, but it could sell it for a dollar.
The soft drink company also had more good news. They wanted to know if the school was interested in taking part in its $15 million initiative to build or fix up 2,000 playgrounds.
In January, 15 students at the school laid out their vision for the playground helped by KaBOOM!, a nonprofit dedicated to building playgrounds.
On Wednesday, the most popular parts of the student designs - including a climbing wall, rope bridge and climbing dome - were assembled and placed by the volunteers.
About 100 volunteers were from Dr. Pepper, some were school employees on spring break, and others, like Davis, were community members who got wind of the project.
Davis said his brother, Carl Davis, even offered to provide a cement-mixer truck, but KaBOOM declined in favor of hand-stirring in wheelbarrows. The effort is part of the reward, explained Ann Gaudard Weeby, project manager for KaBOOM.
"We believe in sweat equity," she said. "It's just a way for people to experience a day of volunteering and to give back to kids."
Most of the students won't see the results until Monday when school resumes. Goodwin said they would be delighted.
"It's amazing," she said.
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