Playground equipment installed

There is new playground equipment at the ballpark in Vienna to honor the memory of a Goreville teenager who lost his life in a car accident in 2020. 

Brayden King, 17, played baseball and basketball at Goreville High School.

After his death, a memorial fund was created in Brayden’s honor. New playground equipment was purchased, but help was needed with the installation. 

That’s where students in the Shawnee Community College Highway Construction Careers Training Program came in to help.

Last week, the students and their instructors installed the new equipment near the ball fields where Brayden played baseball. The equipment includes slides, a climbing wall and other features. 

Shawnee Community College works with John A. Logan College and the Illinois Department of Transportation to train men and women in the community to become job ready through the highway construction and careers training program. 

The spring semester marks the second class of students participating in the program.

Other projects have included work on the parking lot at Cairo City Hall and the soon-to-open Rise Community Market in Cairo. 

Students agree that giving back to the community has been an enriching experience.