FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
() · A broken sidewalk reimagined as an illuminated exercise track in Detroit. A network of playable planters, benches and bike racks erected in downtown Philadelphia. An iconic neighborhood step street transformed into a colorful play center in the Bronx. Today, KaBOOM! announced a list of 50 winning organizations that will receive funding to help make play easy, available and fun for kids and families in cities across the country. The Play Everywhere Challenge, a $1 million national competition, is awarding innovative solutions to promote play in unexpected places – sidewalks, vacant lots, bus stops, laundromats and beyond – especially in communities where families struggle to make ends meet. The Challenge was hosted by KaBOOM!, in collaboration with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Target, Playworld, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the National Endowment for the Arts. The winning projects were selected by a Blue Ribbon panel of experts, including leaders from the business, nonprofit, urban planning and arts sectors, who helped identify ideas that reflect innovative, replicable and fun ways to help more kids and families fit play into their everyday lives. “We’re thrilled with the number and quality of applications we received, representing cities large and small across the country,” said James Siegal, CEO of KaBOOM!. Play is vital to healthy childhood development. It is easy to see the physical benefits of play when kids are skipping, jumping, sliding, and swinging. Play is also how kids make friends, build strong bonds with caring adults, and learn problem-solving, conflict resolution and creativity. Evidence shows that missing out on the chance to play puts kids at risk for challenges ranging from obesity to anxiety to trouble adjusting in school. This unique, national, public-private initiative rallied applicants who share the goal of promoting daily play as key to ensuring the health and success of America’s kids. “Play is the essence of childhood,” said Siegal. “But it is often difficult to squeeze into the day because parents are juggling too many demands or don’t have safe places for their kids to go. We are excited to support and share the amazing PLAYces dreamed up by our 50 winners. We are confident that our winners will inspire city leaders around the country to transform their sidewalks, vacant lots, bus stops, and more with their own innovative solutions that give all kids the childhood they deserve filled with play.” A gallery of winning projects spanning the country can be found at http://kaboom.org/playeverywhere. Contact: Priya Madrecki [email protected] 4301 Connecticut Ave. NW Suite ML-1 Washington, D.C. 20008 Ph.: 202-464- 6167
A broken sidewalk reimagined as an illuminated exercise track in Detroit. A network of playable planters, benches and bike racks erected in downtown Philadelphia. An iconic neighborhood step street transformed into a colorful play center in the Bronx.
Today, KaBOOM! announced a list of 50 winning organizations that will receive funding to help make play easy, available and fun for kids and families in cities across the country. The Play Everywhere Challenge, a $1 million national competition, is awarding innovative solutions to promote play in unexpected places – sidewalks, vacant lots, bus stops, laundromats and beyond – especially in communities where families struggle to make ends meet.
The Challenge was hosted by KaBOOM!, in collaboration with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Target, Playworld, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
The winning projects were selected by a Blue Ribbon panel of experts, including leaders from the business, nonprofit, urban planning and arts sectors, who helped identify ideas that reflect innovative, replicable and fun ways to help more kids and families fit play into their everyday lives.
“We’re thrilled with the number and quality of applications we received, representing cities large and small across the country,” said James Siegal, CEO of KaBOOM!.
Play is vital to healthy childhood development. It is easy to see the physical benefits of play when kids are skipping, jumping, sliding, and swinging. Play is also how kids make friends, build strong bonds with caring adults, and learn problem-solving, conflict resolution and creativity. Evidence shows that missing out on the chance to play puts kids at risk for challenges ranging from obesity to anxiety to trouble adjusting in school. This unique, national, public-private initiative rallied applicants who share the goal of promoting daily play as key to ensuring the health and success of America’s kids.
“Play is the essence of childhood,” said Siegal. “But it is often difficult to squeeze into the day because parents are juggling too many demands or don’t have safe places for their kids to go. We are excited to support and share the amazing PLAYces dreamed up by our 50 winners. We are confident that our winners will inspire city leaders around the country to transform their sidewalks, vacant lots, bus stops, and more with their own innovative solutions that give all kids the childhood they deserve filled with play.”
A gallery of winning projects spanning the country can be found at http://kaboom.org/playeverywhere.
Contact: Priya Madrecki [email protected] 4301 Connecticut Ave. NW Suite ML-1 Washington, D.C. 20008 Ph.: 202-464- 6167
About KABOOM!KABOOM! is the national nonprofit committed to ending playspace inequity – the reality that quality places to play are not available to every child, especially in communities of color. Since 1996, KABOOM! has partnered with kids and communities to create or transform 17,000+ playspaces and ensure that nearly 12 million kids have equitable access to the crucial benefits and opportunities that playspaces offer. In 2022, KABOOM! launched the 25 in 5 Initiative to End Playspace Inequity, the $250 million plan to accelerate its mission in 25 high-priority locations over five years. Learn more at kaboom.org and join the conversation at twitter.com/kaboom, facebook.com/kaboom, instagram.com/kaboom and LinkedIn.