If you told Jim Roberts that he was a star, he would modestly disagree. But talk to any school principal or PTA member in Napa Valley and you?EUR??,,????'???ll quickly see that this retired businessman from Napa, Calif., easily rates star status.

Through his leadership and tireless dedication to children the Kiwanis Club of Napa has built 25 new playgrounds – including more than $1 million in equipment alone – for elementary schools in the Napa area. Five additional playgrounds are in the works for 2003, at which time his organization will have completely renovated the playgrounds at every elementary school in the Napa Valley Unified School District.

Tamara Sanguinetti, principal at Salvador Elementary School in Napa, is just one of many school officials who think the world of Roberts.

Roberts was drawn in to playground creation literally by accident. While volunteering as a mentor at a school for at-risk kids, he saw a child who was seriously hurt on the playground because the equipment was, in his words, ?EUR??,,????'??junky.?EUR??,,????'?? He got to work raising money and organizing volunteers to support a new playground, and his second ?EUR??,,????'??career?EUR??,,????'?? was born. Roberts soon made contact with Ross Recreation, the Landscape Structures representative in northern California. It?EUR??,,????'???s been an ongoing and mutually satisfying relationship ever since.

Ewing Philbin of Ross Recreation lauds Roberts as a tremendous organizer and a tireless volunteer.

?EUR??,,????'??Jim Roberts knows more about playstructures than just about anyone I know,?EUR??,,????'?? says Philbin. ?EUR??,,????'??He understands all the factors that make a playground both safe and fun, and he has personally installed dozens of them.

In the beginning, Robert?EUR??,,????'???s greatest challenge was raising the money for the play equipment.

?EUR??,,????'??Back then, the school district did not have a lot of money for playgrounds, so we had to knock on a lot of doors and help the parent/teacher organizations solicit funds,?EUR??,,????'?? says Roberts. We could never have accomplished any of these projects without the help of the parents, the children and various civic groups such as Community Projects, Inc., a local thrift shop that distributes all of its proceeds to the community.?EUR??,,????'??

In 2002 the city of Napa passed a $95 million school construction bond backed by matching funds from the state. As a result, the school district will be building three new elementary schools over the next few years, and there will be at least three new playgrounds for Roberts and his fellow Kiwanis members to tackle.

In the meantime, Roberts is not letting up. He has a meeting scheduled with a local Baptist church that would like to create a playground for their neighborhood, and he has his eye on a city park that could use some new equipment.

Roberts has a soft spot for kids, but he?EUR??,,????'???s tough minded about one thing: He insists on using the highest quality products. ?EUR??,,????'??It?EUR??,,????'???s part of the deal,?EUR??,,????'?? Roberts says. ?EUR??,,????'??Stinting on playground equipment is not a good way to save money. Save it on ice cream at the Grand Opening not on the safety of kids.?EUR??,,????'??

It?EUR??,,????'???s at those grand openings that Roberts gets a tremendous sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.