How Fast Can Erin Brockovich Rebuild?
N E W Y O R K, Dec. 10, 2001 -- Erin Brockovich, the legal champion and real life-inspiration for the Academy Award-winning movie is getting ready to tackle a new case — this one in Manhattan.
Brockovich was the subject of a film starring Julia Roberts about a feisty lawyer's assistant who won $333 million in a settlement from Pacific Gas and Electric Co. for California residents whose water was contaminated by a carcinogen. Roberts won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Brockovich, who in real life has become an inspirational speaker who tours the country.
Good Morning America caught up with Brockovich as she kicked-off the challenge Monday, Dec. 1. She will attempt to complete her challenge for the upcoming primetime show, Challenge America. It is modeled after a similar show in Britain called "Challenge U.K.," which follows the show host and a team of worker bees as they are asked to pull off an impossibly large act in an impossibly short span of time.
Brockovich's challenge is to rebuild a rundown park and amphitheater in lower Manhattan, then organize a party there for children who lost parents in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center. The job has been estimated to take a year to complete. Brockovich will be asked to finish the project in one week, and she will not be given a cent to work with.
Brockovich's team must accomplish the following tasks:
Locate 100,000 square feet of Astro Turf to fill the soccer field. Find 7,000 linear feet of wood for amphitheater bleachers. Cast 15,000 square feet of asphalt paving for the walkways. Recruit construction workers, contractors and businesses to donate their services and materials free of charge. Plan a grand opening winter wonderland party complete with fake snow and top celebrity talent for thousands of children on Dec. 16. Audition musical performers and artists to serve as the party's entertainment.
Hope for a Crumbling Amphitheater
The now-rundown amphitheater was built as part of the Works Progress Administration, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's effort to create jobs for Depression-era workers. It became a beacon of entertainment in Manhattan's poor Lower East Side neighborhood with song, dance and theater performed at the park along the East River. In the 1950s, it was even home to the city's famous "Shakespeare in the Park," a free summertime event that draws famous actors and crowds of spectators and is now held in Central Park.
But by the 1970s, actors and sets were replaced by runaways and graffiti. Meanwhile, the theater itself fell into disrepair, a victim of cheap building materials and neglect. Work is also needed a few blocks north on the soccor field in East River Park. It is the only regulation size, year-round soccer field in southern Manhattan and it is used daily by children in leagues and school teams, who play there despite the rocks and debris that make up the playing field.
To complete the project, Brockovich will be asking for help and donations from a variety of people. Financial donations will not be accepted and payment will not be provided for any services or materials. If you want to help out, call 1-866-ERIN-NOW (1-866-374-6669). If you want to see how well she performs, watchChallenge America on Dec. 21 from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. E.T. on ABC.