The spirit of Nate Baker is ever-present at the new Mechanicsville Elementary School playground, made evident by the number of kids laughing and playing at the dedication ceremony Saturday.
Last September, Mechanicsville Elementary kindergarten student Nathan "Nate" Chris Baker drown during a family getaway to Virginia. His family decided to help raise funds to replace the dilapidated playground at the elementary school in Nate's honor.
Hundreds of community members rallied around the Baker family Saturday as they dedicated the new playground at Mechanicsville Elementary. Nate's father, Justin, told Patch last year that Nate would have loved having a new playground.
"Nate would have loved that," Justin said. "He would have wanted to be there while it was being built and he would have wanted to be the first one there to play on it."
The family also started the Nathan Chris Baker Foundation to "provide financial, physical, and emotional support to individuals, families, and communities in need," according to the website. The Foundation, whose tagline is "Go Out, Be Great" will be working this year to help Sandymount Elementary get a new playground.
Go out and be great on Sept. 29 at the 2nd Annual Nathan Chris Baker Fun Day at Hoppers Kid Zone in Eldersburg. Learn more about the Foundation at www.nathanchrisbaker.com.
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