Children at School 18 went without a playground for eight years.

That changed Wednesday, when several forces — including the builder involved in “Extreme Makeover” — joined to install slides, monkey bars and other equipment at the West Side school for children in prekindergarten through eighth grade.

“Children in a city school need a playground. Children everywhere need one, but these kids really do because there’s no place to play,” said Rebecca McCauley, an Orchard Park attorney and volunteer tutor at School 18.

McCauley is a member of Lawyers for Learning, which has raised $35,000 to pay for a new playground after the school at 118 Hampshire St., also known as Dr. Antonia Pantoja Community School of Academic Excellence, is reconstructed.

Looking to do something before then, McCauley approached David Stapleton of David Homes about installing equipment previously used in School 54 and donated equipment from Eggert Road Elementary School in Orchard Park.

Stapleton was in the midst of “Extreme Makeover” week when McCauley approached three weeks ago, but he said he would help.

“I pulled my guys out of a suburban project to come into the city to do the playground in the city,” he said. “I really do believe we’re all in this together.”

More than a dozen David Homes workers dug out and grated the playground, a Buffalo Public Schools work crew poured concrete and transported equipment, and both assembled the equipment.

Also helping were a half-dozen volunteers from Full Gospel Tabernacle, which supplied hundreds of volunteers during “Extreme Makeover” week, and Xtreme Youth Ministry.

“I think what we find is you come to help other people, but you really end up helping yourself even more,” said Daryl Boss, a member of both groups. “The whole past couple of weeks — the ‘Extreme’ project and this — have been just wonderful.”

High Tread International in Lockport donated shredded tires for the bedding.

Principal Valarie Kent expressed her appreciation for the project.

Also on Wednesday, Mayor Byron

W. Brown and PUSH Buffalo teamed up on projects along the Massachusetts Avenue corridor, not far from the home Stapleton built for Delores Powell, a PUSH board member.

“We wanted to reach out to PUSH to see what they wanted us to do, and they gave us five projects,” Brown said, as work crews from four city departments were out in force alongside PUSH volunteers.

They boarded up several homes, improved community gardens and cleaned streets and sidewalks. AmeriCorps volunteers from Father Belle Center also joined in the effort.