It would be easy to drive past the small Baptist church in the needy neighborhood on the city’s east side without noticing its rotting wood playground set. In fact, most people bypass this neighborhood completely, steering away from its pock-marked narrow streets and boarded-up houses.
But one teenager volunteering in a mission outreach to children at the church last summer did notice — and decided to do something about it.
John Haden Smith, then 17, knew the children in the neighborhood wanted and deserved a sturdy and safe playground set. He had a locker full of tools, mission-hewed building skills,
