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In the midst of so much change and growth in our community, an event last week served as a reminder that Routt County remains a place where residents join hands to accomplish a greater good.

During a five-day period that stretched Thursday to Monday, hundreds of local volunteers gave their time and money to build two new playgrounds at Strawberry Park and Soda Creek elementary schools. When they open this fall, the playgrounds will provide a safe place for recreation for children and adults of all abilities, including those restricted to wheelchairs.

The community build project, organized by the Let's All Play committee and the Steamboat Springs Rotary Club, brought together a cross section of residents - men and women, young and old - for five days of work that was at times difficult and at other times tedious. Local restaurants donated food and beverages for meals for the volunteers, and some local businesses gave interested employees paid time off to work on the playgrounds. In-kind donations from area businesses surpassed the $150,000 plateau.

The playground effort was spearheaded by parents Julie Taulman and Shelly St. Pierre, who raised $800,000 for the two "universal playgrounds." The Education Fund Board provided $250,000 for the projects, with an additional $250,000 coming from community donations. The final third was generated through grants.

The new playgrounds replace two wooden structures that were assembled during community build days 23 years ago. It's refreshing to see that as much as things change, many things remain the same - this community's generosity topping that list.

It's hard to duplicate the feeling achieved by giving selflessly of your time or money, and we're blessed to live in a place where residents embrace that spirit year after year, fundraiser after fundraiser. Although the playground builds provide the most recent example, there's a seemingly endless list of causes worthy of our efforts.

Another such cause is quickly approaching and deserving of mention. The local Relay for Life fundraiser for the American Cancer Society is Aug. 8 and 9 at Gardner Field at Steamboat Springs High School. Last year's Relay for Life netted $194,000 for cancer research. That total propelled Steamboat to the highest per capita fundraising total in the region and the third-highest per capita numbers in the country.

Anyone interested in signing up for this year's event, purchasing a luminaria to honor a friend or loved one who lost their battle with cancer, or sponsoring a participant can call event co-chairman Marvin Lindsey at 871-4770 or Linda Jackson at 870-3288.

Like they have so many times before, we don't doubt Routt County residents will rise to the occasion.