FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Washington, D.C. (April 6, 2015) · KaBOOM! with Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie of NBC’s TODAY Show announced plans today to bring play to the city of Passaic, N.J. as part of the ongoing ‘Shine a Light’ series – which focuses on service and giving back to communities. With the generous support from The CarMax Foundation, all will gather to build a playspace and create a family-friendly community gathering place in the heart of the city, across the street from William B. Cruise Memorial School No. 11. Recognizing the need for play, community members have championed for a place in which families can come together and where kids can get the active and balanced play need to become successful adults. From teachers and school administrators to lifelong residents, parents, firefighters, and more, Passaic’s community of caring adults has committed to transforming the empty field into an innovative, public recreation space inviting to all generations. “Creating equitable opportunities for all children to play is our KaBOOM! mission, and to be able to partner with our generous friends at the TODAY Show and The CarMax Foundation to ensure a deserving community like Passaic has access to play is such a joy for us,” said KaBOOM! Founder and CEO Darell Hammond. “The passion and exuberance this community full of caring adults has shown for this project illustrates their commitment to play and to help the next generation grow and learn.” The kids of Passaic already have started submitting their ideas for a dream playspace that will be built later this year. To help support those ideas, play advocates across the country are encouraged to join the national fundraising campaign dedicated to making this vibrant new playspace a reality. To follow along on updates to the build progress and why #playmatters, visit kaboom.org/today, and join the conversation on Twitter or Facebook.
KaBOOM! with Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie of NBC’s TODAY Show announced plans today to bring play to the city of Passaic, N.J. as part of the ongoing ‘Shine a Light’ series – which focuses on service and giving back to communities. With the generous support from The CarMax Foundation, all will gather to build a playspace and create a family-friendly community gathering place in the heart of the city, across the street from William B. Cruise Memorial School No. 11.
Recognizing the need for play, community members have championed for a place in which families can come together and where kids can get the active and balanced play need to become successful adults. From teachers and school administrators to lifelong residents, parents, firefighters, and more, Passaic’s community of caring adults has committed to transforming the empty field into an innovative, public recreation space inviting to all generations.
“Creating equitable opportunities for all children to play is our KaBOOM! mission, and to be able to partner with our generous friends at the TODAY Show and The CarMax Foundation to ensure a deserving community like Passaic has access to play is such a joy for us,” said KaBOOM! Founder and CEO Darell Hammond. “The passion and exuberance this community full of caring adults has shown for this project illustrates their commitment to play and to help the next generation grow and learn.”
The kids of Passaic already have started submitting their ideas for a dream playspace that will be built later this year. To help support those ideas, play advocates across the country are encouraged to join the national fundraising campaign dedicated to making this vibrant new playspace a reality. To follow along on updates to the build progress and why #playmatters, visit kaboom.org/today, and join the conversation on Twitter or Facebook.
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.