|
KaBOOM! Plans Playground Build for 2008 Congress of Cities
by Amanda M. Straub
 In preparation for the playground build, which will take place on Friday, November, 15 during NLC’s Congress of Cities in Orlando, Fla., KaBOOM! and the City of Orlando held a design day at the Dr. James R. Smith Neighborhood Center in Orlando on September 17.
KaBOOM! is a national nonprofit dedicated to bringing play back into children’s lives. NLC and KaBOOM! are partnering on a series of playground builds, including one in New Orleans at last year’s Congress of Cities where nearly 400 conference delegates helped build a new play facility at Joe Brown Park.
During the design day in Orlando, approximately 30 children from the neighborhood were able to help dream up their ideal playspace, while the adults in the community were able to learn more about the build process and how to engage citizens as volunteers in the formation of a great place to play.
The chosen build site, the Dr. James R. Smith Neighborhood Center, serves approximately 500 children, ages 2-12. The center is in a low-income area and is surrounded by a housing development, an elementary school, a private academy and one of the largest churches in Orlando. One-hundred percent of the children served are African-American, whose families make an average annual income of $25,000-35,000.
The current playground is 17 years old and desperately needs to be replaced with new equipment to provide a safe structure for the children.
Delegates to the Congress of Cities in Orlando will have the opportunity to volunteer for the playground build. Online registration will be available in the next few weeks.
Playful City USA
KaBOOM! has also named 67 cities Playful City USA communities. These cities have taken innovative approaches to making play a priority in their communities. They have increased both the quality and the quantity of playgrounds, as well as increased existing access to opportunities for play.
The 67 Playful City USA communities for 2008 include:
Ankeny, Iowa; Arlington, Texas; Atlanta; Bloomington, Ind.; Brentwood, Calif.; Canton, Ga.; Cerritos, Calif.; Chandler, Ariz.; Columbus, Ga.; Coolidge, Ariz.; Creedmoor, N.C.; Danville, Va.; DeRidder, La.; Dothan, Ala.; East Cleveland, Ohio; El Paso, Texas; Encinitas, Calif.; Findlay, Ohio; Gilbert, Ariz.; Grand Prairie, Texas; Green River, Wyo.; Greenbelt, Md.; Henderson, Nevada; Hernando, Miss.; Huntsville, Ala.; Irvine, Calif.; Kenner, La.; Kerman, Calif.; La Mesa, Calif.; Lake Charles, La.; Lake Saint Louis, Mo.; Lake Worth, Fla.; Landfall, Minn.; Lauderdale Lakes, Fla.; Longview, Wash.; Los Angeles; Mercer Island, Wash.; Murray, Ky.; Nampa, Idaho; Neenah, Wis.; New Lenox, Ill.; New Roads, La.; New York; Newport News, Va.; Norfolk, Va.; Northglenn, Colo.; Orlando, Fla.; Palm Bay, Fla.; Parkland, Fla.; Phoenix, Ariz.; Portsmouth, Ohio; Riverside, Calif.; Riviera Beach, Fla.; Safety Harbor, Fla.; St. Paul, Minn.; St. Petersburg, Fla.; San Francisco; San Jose, Calif.; Shirley, Mass.; Spartanburg, S.C.; Springdale, Ark.; Tucson, Ariz.; Wapello, Iowa; West Palm Beach, Fla.; York, Pa.; Yorkville, Ill.; and Yuma, Ariz.
KaBOOM! will recognize these Playful City USA communities during a reception on Friday, November 15, and at a conference general session on Saturday, November 16, at NLC’s Congress of Cities.
|