It was a weekend of birthdays it appears as many of our favorite stars were out celebrating life. To commemorate her own 30th birthday, our very own Karen Civil traded in the club scene for the opportunity to bring joy to others on her special day. In collaboration with Sow a Seed – a non-profit, volunteer-based organization that supports orphanages with a special focus on the welfare of Haiti’s children – Karen broke ground and began the process to build the second Project PlayWorld in Haiti and the country’s first learning landscape in Crois des Bouquets; sponsored by the Live Civil Fund.

“I believe in the power of play. Unfortunately, Haiti does not have many safe environments for children to play and express themselves,” Karen, a Sow a Seed Ambassador said. “Coming from a Haitian-American home, I thought it was necessary to give back to the country in which my parents were raised. That is why I believe in Project PlayWorld’s efforts to to provide secure playing spaces for the children of Haiti with the Live Civil Playground.”

The Live Civil Playground will be home to ten interactive games, offering elementary math concepts built from reused tires in a sandbox structure. There will be an area dedicated to story time, allowing for plays and lectures as well as an area with interactive musical instruments and educational games to help teach children strategy building and problem-solving.

With help from project manager, Claudia Apaid, Richard Bouillon designed the playground that consists of a recyclable material learning landscape. Using reclaimed tires and bamboo, Bouillon will be able to create climbing towers, motorcycles, swings, slides and more for the children to play.

Aside from the funding secured by Karen Civil, Project PlayWorld has garnered the financial support from the likes of Meek Mill and Nipsey Hussle; President of Young Money Records, Mack Maine; Renowned DJ, Funkmaster Flex; Haitian-American professional boxer, Andrea Berto; President of Urban Music at Interscope Records, Joie Manda; Official DJ of the Cleveland Cavaliers, DJ Steph Floss and partner Jameel Davis.

Watch footage from Karen’s birthday homecoming at the Live Civil Playground above and see photos from her trip in the gallery on the following page.