CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Tennessee First Lady Maria Lee joined a group of close to 25 volunteers in Montgomery County this week to help build a playset for 6-year-old Baylor Knight, who has pediatric cancer.
Knight suffers from a myeloproliferative neoplasm cancer. Members of Tennessee Serves, the Roc Solid Foundation, and Bravo Company Special Operations Training Battalion from Fort Campbell spent Tuesday morning building the Backyard Discovery Playset for the youngster.
Tennessee Serves, an initiative of Maria Lee, encourages all Tennesseans to love their neighbors as themselves and demonstrate that love through acts of service.
“Our heart is to get out and serve wherever we can, and so when this came to our attention, we thought there’s no way we can say no. So we’re all excited to be out here today putting together this playground for this little boy,” Lee said.
The Roc Solid Foundation, out of Chesapeake, Virginia, builds playsets for families with children affected by cancer, said Kara Bonvillian, director of Development.
“Typically it’s for kids ages 1-8. Roc Solid works with local community partners and builds a custom playset in the backyard of families just to give them the gift of play back in their lives. For kids, the first thing that is taken from them is the ability to play,” said Bonvillian.
With his theme of “Fight Like a Knight,” Baylor was at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital while the playset was being put together, but he did have a chance to enjoy it the next day. Baylor’s mom, Danielle, said his brother, 9-year-old Jaxen, and 4-year-old sister Evelyn are Baylor’s top cheerleaders.
Knight added that Baylor is the family’s outdoor child. “He is my frog catcher, my animal hunter; he loves being outside all day every day. For him to have a place that is safe, that we can control, and he can go out whenever he wants is going to mean the absolute world to him,” said Knight.
The building of the playset was sponsored by Earl and Janet Bentz of Clarksville through Roc Solid. Earl Bentz said they are very supportive of Vanderbilt and have had great experiences there with their children over the years.
After the work was finished, each member of the build team was given a marker and asked to write a special message of support for Baylor somewhere on the playset, and then it was completely sanitized for safety.