Carrie Underwood is one for helping others. On Friday (October 14), the worldwide country hitmaker paid her hometown of Checotah, Okla. a visit for a good reason. With the help of hundreds of excited volunteers and a non-profit called KaBOOM!, Underwood and her C.A.T.S. Foundation put their hands to the dirt to build a new playground for Marshall Elementary School, which coincidentally was her school when she was little.

The group achieved what they set out to accomplish with half a day to spare, constructing a 2,500 square-foot kid-designed set in under eight hours. Underwood personally painted a mural and planted some greenery to liven things up, in addition to assembling pieces of the playscape unit -- like a horse spring rider and a tree house, which the singer says she was elated to do. "We had the most amazing day putting together something truly special for the kids – and the community," Underwood said Friday. "I’m so proud that so many volunteered their time to be here today."

Underwood has been helping her small hometown community since starting the C.A.T.S. Foundation in 2009, by rebuilding an animal shelter and raising nearly $120,000 for school music programs in the area with the help of ACM Lifting Lives.

Though she didn't expect reognition for her devotion to the Checotah school, Marshall Elementary principal Jann Ledbetter gave thanks on behalf of the students anyhow. "On behalf of the Marshall Elementary students and staff, I would like to thank Carrie Underwood for her generous donation to KaBOOM!, which made this playground project possible," Ledbetter said. "It is particularly special for us because this was Carrie’s elementary school. At Marshall we believe that play is of the utmost importance in the physical, mental and social development of young children. We are incredibly grateful to the C.A.T.S. Foundation, KaBOOM!, and community and parent volunteers who have come together in making our dream playground a reality. Together we have positively affected our current and future student’s lives for the better."

Watch Carrie Underwood Talk About Building a Playground

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