Former Run-DMC front-man to lead playground crusade
By CHRISTOPHER QUINN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Aug. 14, 2008

Joseph Simmons, the ground-breaking rapper whose revival of the song “Walk this Way” gave it a second life on the hit charts, is preaching the same message in a new form.

He is telling people walk this way, a good way, a better way.

Simmons, better known as the lead personality Rev. Run on MTV’s reality show “Run’s House,” and better known to the parents of MTV’s target audience as one of the founding members of 1980s rap group Run-D.M.C., will be in Atlanta Aug. 21 to help the nonprofit KaBoom kick off a project to build four Atlanta playgrounds in three days. [More]

Read Rev Run's blog on the KOOL-AID and KaBOOM! partnership page.

"Justine and I had a wonderful time visiting Cleveland and building a magnificent playground in Old Cedar Estates in Cleveland, Ohio," he says. "We were overjoyed by the way we were greeted by the community."

Read the whole blog entry.

Cathie Schanz, programs and organizational development manager for the City of Tampa Parks and Recreation, is the big winner in the KOOL-AID and KaBOOM! Playspace Finder Sweepstakes!

Cathie has been a Playmaker for over a year and co-chaired a playground build in Tampa. She learned about the contest on the KaBOOM! website while looking up information for an upcoming Play Day she was planning and took up the contest challenge by entering a whopping 72 playspaces with photos!

As the lucky winner, she gets to attend a playground ribbon-cutting with Reverend Run in Atlanta, thanks to KOOL-AID and KaBOOM!.

"I will be bringing my family and maybe a lucky co-worker!" Cathie said. "I am so excited. Atlanta is a great city to visit and I am looking forward to participating in another KaBOOM build!"

Don't forget to enter the KOOL-AID and KaBOOM! Playspace Finder Sweepstakes before Friday to win a trip to a playground ribbon-cutting with Reverend Run!

Help us find every playspace in America, good and bad... and win a trip to a playground ribbon-cutting with Reverend Run!

KaBOOM! and KOOL-AID are teaming up to make great play possible through the KOOL-AID and KaBOOM! Playspace Finder Sweepstakes!

Every new playground (with an uploaded picture) you add to the KaBOOM! Playspace Finder between Aug. 4 and Aug. 9 will enter you to win a trip for four to a playground ribbon-cutting with Reverend Run in Atlanta!

Learn about the sweepstakes!

We've got WE Play! Yes we do!
We've got WE Play! How 'bout you?

KaBOOM! is holding four - count 'em - FOUR playground training events in August all around the country.

Denver, Colo. - Aug. 6
Cleveland, Ohio - Aug. 7*
New York City, N.Y. - Aug. 13
Atlanta, Ga. - Aug. 21*

They're free to attend, thanks to the generous support of KOOL-AID and The Home Depot. But you need to register in advance. [Learn more and register]

* At each of the Cleveland, and Atlanta WE Play! trainings, five attendees will receive $7,500 grants (sponsored by KOOL-AID) toward building a playground in their community!

By MATT HOLLIS
North Channel Sentinel (Texas)
July 17, 2008

The heat was intense, but that did not stop more than 250 volunteers from participating in the Wendel D. Ley YMCA/KaBoom! playground project, July 12.

“This says a lot for the community in Channelview,” said Ann Gaudard, KaBoom! Project manager. “T he North Shore community has never been one not to share its time, talents and treasures. Today, they shared all of those with us. It really will make a difference in these kids’ lives.”

KOOL-AID helped to fund the playground along with a $10,000 donation from the North Shore Rotary Club. [More]

Learn more about the KOOL-AID and KaBOOM! partnership.

Houston Press Blog
July 10, 2008

Rev. Joseph "Run" Simmons, one-third of legendary rap group Run-DMC and more recently starring as a man of the cloth and beleagured father of seven (in other words, himself) in the hit MTV reality series Run's House, visited Houston Wednesday with his wife, Justine, to help build a brand-new playground at the Candlelight Oak Civic Club in Northwest Houston. Tuesday's project is the second in the KOOL-AID/KaBOOM! initiative's partnership to build playgrounds in inner-city neighborhoods. Everything seemed to be going swimmingly - hundreds of volunteers scurrying around hauling dirt, mixing cement and hammering things while listening to, um George Strait - until the skies opened, but Simmons swore the project would be finished today, rain or shine. [More]

Learn more about KOOL-AID and KaBOOM!

This just in...great photos from the Houston WE Play! July 10 and the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club build on July 11! Check them out!

Houston WE Play! sponsored by KOOL-AID

Houston, TX - Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club build (KOOL-AID), 7/11/2008

Did you participate in the WE Play! or the build? Chat about it on our Forums.

"The Candlelight Oaks Civic Club welcomed us with open arms as Justine and I painted and helped construct their beautiful new playground. We were overwhelmed by the love we saw in the community, and how nothing was going to stop them from completing their playground, not even the threat of rain, thunder and lightning.  Seeing the kids' faces and knowing how much this new playground was going to impact the entire neighborhood gave us enough smiles to last a lifetime..." [More]

Also check out this great video on the build.

Hip-hop pioneer Joseph Simmons (a.k.a. Reverend Run), the new brand ambassador for the KOOL-AID KaBOOM! initiative, joined his family at a KaBOOM! playground build in Houston July 9.  

"I'm personally committed to bringing families together -- at the dinner table, in communities and on playgrounds," said Reverend Run. "I'm hopeful that by working together, KOOL-AID, KaBOOM!, and I can make a real difference in kids' lives by allowing them to have fun and create the memories that will serve them well for many years to come."

Photos of the build are now available!

Check out these great video interviews with Reverend Run about the project!

Reverend Run interview on Good Day New Mexico
July 3, 2008

Reverend Run and wife Justine interview on My Fox Houston
July 9, 2008

Video from the Houston Chronicle:

Learn more about the partnership between KOOL-AID and KaBOOM!

We've got lots of great new photos now available!

Brownsville, NY - Imagination Playground in a BOX Opening, 7/9/08
Houston, TX - Candlelight Oaks Civic Club (KOOL-AID), 7/9/08
Biloxi, MS - City of Biloxi (Mississippi Hurricane Recovery Fund), 6/28/08
Jacksonville, FL - Housing Partnership of Northeast Florida (WaMu), 6/28/08
San Antonio, TX - El Carmen Society for Community Advancement (USDA- 4H), 5/06/08

See all photo galleries.

One of the biggest challenges facing any community-build playground project is fundraising. That is why KaBOOM! offers communities occasional grant opportunities to begin or complete playspace projects.

Here are our two current grant opportunities:

KaBOOM! - Grable Foundation Grant
The Grable Foundation and KaBOOM! are joining forces to offer an exciting grant opportunity to qualifying organizations in Allegheny; Butler; Beaver; Washington; and Westmoreland counties in Pennsylvania. This grant program demonstrates the Grable Foundation’s commitment to supporting community-based groups with a desire to build fun and healthy community playgrounds, and exemplifies how KaBOOM! empowers communities with the tools, knowledge and the inspiration necessary to create great places to play. There are two grants left! Download the application here.

Yet another reason to attend a WE Play! near you - $7,500 grants available! (Sponsored by KOOL-AID)
Do the kids in your community need great places to play? If your answer is YES, then sign up for one of our FREE Workshops Entirely on Play (WE Play!).

At select WE Play! events sponsored by KOOL-AID, (Atlanta, Los Angeles, Houston and Cleveland), applications will be available for five $7,500 grants toward building a playground in their community! Only WE Play! attendees are eligible to apply.

At WE Play!, you’ll learn how to plan, fund, and complete a community-build playground project AND advocate for more play in your community.

With the generous support of our partners KOOL-AID and The Home Depot, we've got FREE trainings scheduled across the country including Houston (July 10), Cleveland (Aug. 7), and Atlanta (Aug. 21) in the coming months. Get started on the path toward building a great playground today!

June 28 & 29, 11 am – 5 pm

Imaginative Foam Blocks of a Variety of Shapes and Sizes, Fabric, Tarps and Cardboard Nurture Fun, Imaginative Play

Queens, N.Y. – June 17, 2008 - Children of all ages are invited to play with hundreds of foam building blocks from Imagination Playground, which nurtures creative play and is being planned for downtown New York City, when the Hall in the Anthony Viscusi Gallery at the New York Hall of Science is transformed into a giant playground for kids of all ages on June 28 and 29th between 11am and 5pm.  This event will feature over 265 blue foam blocks of different weights and sizes, which children will be able to build structures and sculptures, tear them down, and then start all over again.  They will also be able to integrate loose parts and found objects, including fabrics, tarps and reused cardboard, into the fun. 
 
The foam blocks, designed by the Rockwell Group, are part of the architecture and design firm’s Imagination Playground which is being built in Burling Slip near South Street Seaport, as well as in an abbreviated form in Brownsville, Brooklyn.  There are others being planned for the remaining boroughs of New York, and throughout the country. Rockwell Group first developed the design and concept for Imagination Playground, which breaks ground this summer, to nurture creative play through a combination of loose parts, water and sand, creating an infinite number of creative play ideas and ensuring that no two visits to the play ground are ever the same. This type of design architecture allows for transformative, socio-cooperative and imaginative constructive play, which can evolve as children mature.

At select upcoming WE Play! events sponsored by KOOL-AID, five attendees will receive $7,500 grants toward building a playground in their community! These grants are available at the following events:

• Houston (July 10)
• Cleveland (Aug. 7)
• Atlanta (Aug. 21)

Learn more and register here.

Check out the KOOL-AID photo gallery to see great photos from four playspace builds in the Los Angeles area last week!

LA Teen Challenge
Boys & Girls Club of Carson
HCA/Longhorn Pavillion
Los Cerritos YMCA

Learn more about the partnership

Hip-hop pioneer Joseph Simmons (a.k.a. Reverend Run), the new brand ambassador for the KOOL-AID KaBOOM! initiative, joined his family on a community build in Los Angeles Wednesday.

"I'm personally committed to bringing families together -- at the dinner table, in communities and on playgrounds," said Reverend Run. "I'm hopeful that by working together, KOOL-AID, KaBOOM!, and I can make a real difference in kids' lives by allowing them to have fun and create the memories that will serve them well for many years to come."

See photos of Reverend Run at the build.

Interviews with Reverend Run about the build, KOOL-AID, and KaBOOM! can be found at the links below.

Fox 5 Vegas

My Fox Atlanta

Kraft says oh yeah to sugar free KOOL-AID
Brandweek

Rev Run – the new face for KOOL-AID
Buddy TV

KOOL-AID Introduces New products and Better-For-You Brand Direction
Fox Business

Rev. Run back on the playgrounds
USA Today

Learn more about the partnership

KOOL-AID Announces New Products and Better-for-You Brand Direction;
Joins With KaBOOM! & Hip-Hop Pioneer Reverend Run to Build Playgrounds Nationwide to Encourage Healthy, Active Lifestyles

TARRYTOWN, N.Y., May 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- KOOL-AID, the iconic soft drink that has stood for fun and refreshment for generations of children and their parents, today announced it will provide additional better-for-you options for consumers by introducing new and reformulated products this spring and in coming years.

The brand, launched in Nebraska in 1927 and now offering both powdered and ready-to-drink beverages, also announced a new partnership with KaBOOM!, the national non-profit organization that envisions a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America. Over the next year, KOOL-AID and KaBOOM! will build 24 playgrounds in cities around the country, provide grants toward building 20 more, and work with local communities, parents and children to encourage healthier and more active lifestyles.

"We understand that our consumers are looking for more choices that better meet the needs of their families," said Kirstie Krall, Senior Brand Manager, KOOL-AID. "We're firmly committed to providing moms and kids with products that combine the great fun and flavor of KOOL-AID while providing better-for-you beverage options to help support a healthier lifestyle. And, in addition to offering new and improved products, we're partnering with KaBOOM! to create great places to play for kids in cities around the country so that communities have somewhere to come together and get active." [Read more]

Learn more at kaboom.org/kool-aid

There's nothing quite like a Workshop Entirely on Play (WE Play!).

Now you can experience the fun by checking out photos from the first three events:

Washington, D.C. | Charlotte, N.C. | Chicago, Ill.

But more WE Play! events are coming to a city near you! Check the list below and sign up today! 

Not all of the training hotel locations have been identified. You can still register for a training and we will update you as soon as we have the event address.

* = At each of the Los Angeles, Houston, Cleveland, and Atlanta WE Play! trainings, five attendees will receive $7,500 grants toward building a playground in their community! [More]

Do the kids in your community need great places to play? If your answer is YES, then sign up for one of our FREE Workshops Entirely on Play (WE Play!).

At select WE Play! events sponsored by KOOL-AID, (Atlanta, Los Angeles, Houston and Cleveland), applications will be available for five $7,500 grants toward building a playground in their community! Only WE Play! attendees are eligible to apply.

At WE Play!, you’ll learn how to plan, fund, and complete a community-build playground project AND advocate for more play in your community.

With the generous support of our partners KOOL-AID and The Home Depot, we've got FREE trainings scheduled across the country including Charlotte (May 13), Chicago (May 16) Los Angeles (June 5), Houston (July 10) and New Orleans (July 25) in the coming months. Get started on the path toward building a great playground today!