FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
() · As part of his ongoing efforts to provide “A Better Tomorrow” for children, NBA All-Star Antawn Jamison and national non-profit KaBOOM! announced a new partnership to encourage and promote play among children across the country. KaBOOM!, an organization that empowers communities to build playgrounds, will team with Jamison to sponsor a playground build in his hometown of Shreveport in September of 2008 with the potential to build playgrounds in other areas in the future. Additionally, Jamison will serve as a KaBOOM! All-Star Playmaker – an extension of the Playmaker Network consisting of national leaders and celebrities who take action for play on behalf of KaBOOM!, while promoting the importance of play. Jamison, whose “A Better Tomorrow” campaign has helped countless individuals across the country via scholarships, clothing and food donations and financial contributions, participated alongside hundreds of volunteers to build a KaBOOM! playground in just one day in New Orleans on Feb. 15 at the Mahalia Jackson Early Childhood and Family Learning Center in conjunction with the 2008 NBA All-Star Game. Inspired by the massive community involvement and the tangible result of a playground that will serve thousands of children, Jamison contacted KaBOOM! to facilitate building a playground in his childhood home of Shreveport. “Encouraging children to play by building playgrounds is important to me because it not only allows a kid to be a kid, but it also helps bring entire communities together,” Jamison said. “Those are two of my biggest charitable goals. It seems that television and video games are making so many children grow up too quickly these days. Playing video games is fun but playing outside and interacting with other kids is where friendships are built and dreams are created.” KaBOOM!, a Washington D.C. based non-profit, has helped build nearly 1,400 playgrounds, skateparks, ice rinks and sports fields across North America since its inception in 1995 via its innovative community-build model. “When we look for individuals to partner with, our top priority is finding people with a true passion for making a difference in the lives of children,” said Darell Hammond, KaBOOM! CEO & co-founder. “Without question, Antawn has that passion and it’s evident in the programs he’s sponsored in the past. We’re ecstatic that he’s joining with us in our mission to spread the message that play is invaluable and critical to the development of children.” The playground that will eventually be built in Shreveport will be designed based on drawings submitted by children from the area at a Design Day event held prior to the build. A locally formed playground planning committee will work closely with Antawn and a local partner to prepare for the build, which will take place in just one day through the efforts of Antawn, a Shreveport-based organization, KaBOOM! and volunteers from the local community. “Helping out with the build in New Orleans was one of my most memorable experiences during All-Star Weekend,” Jamison said. “I didn’t realize how much hard work goes into building a playground. It was very inspirational to see all those community members and volunteers working together to provide a place where kids can play and feel safe. There’s nothing like physically helping to build a playground for kids. I’m looking forward to the next build so I can step in and get my hands dirty. I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Jamison will also assist KaBOOM! in promotional efforts for WE Play! (Workshops Entirely on Play!) – free regional trainings occurring across the country that provide networking opportunities and first-hand success stories on how to bring play back into the lives of children. KaBOOM! will host its first WE Play! training in Washington, D.C. on April 10 with another to follow May 13 in Charlotte – the city where Jamison attended high school. “The word ‘play’ molded me into the person I am today,” Jamison said. “Growing up in Shreveport was all about having a special place to hang out and converse with my friends. That special place was a little playground. That one little playground gave me so many chances. It helped instill my work ethic and passion for basketball and ultimately helped me figure out what I wanted to do with my life.”
As part of his ongoing efforts to provide “A Better Tomorrow” for children, NBA All-Star Antawn Jamison and national non-profit KaBOOM! announced a new partnership to encourage and promote play among children across the country.
KaBOOM!, an organization that empowers communities to build playgrounds, will team with Jamison to sponsor a playground build in his hometown of Shreveport in September of 2008 with the potential to build playgrounds in other areas in the future. Additionally, Jamison will serve as a KaBOOM! All-Star Playmaker – an extension of the Playmaker Network consisting of national leaders and celebrities who take action for play on behalf of KaBOOM!, while promoting the importance of play.
Jamison, whose “A Better Tomorrow” campaign has helped countless individuals across the country via scholarships, clothing and food donations and financial contributions, participated alongside hundreds of volunteers to build a KaBOOM! playground in just one day in New Orleans on Feb. 15 at the Mahalia Jackson Early Childhood and Family Learning Center in conjunction with the 2008 NBA All-Star Game. Inspired by the massive community involvement and the tangible result of a playground that will serve thousands of children, Jamison contacted KaBOOM! to facilitate building a playground in his childhood home of Shreveport.
“Encouraging children to play by building playgrounds is important to me because it not only allows a kid to be a kid, but it also helps bring entire communities together,” Jamison said. “Those are two of my biggest charitable goals. It seems that television and video games are making so many children grow up too quickly these days. Playing video games is fun but playing outside and interacting with other kids is where friendships are built and dreams are created.”
KaBOOM!, a Washington D.C. based non-profit, has helped build nearly 1,400 playgrounds, skateparks, ice rinks and sports fields across North America since its inception in 1995 via its innovative community-build model.
“When we look for individuals to partner with, our top priority is finding people with a true passion for making a difference in the lives of children,” said Darell Hammond, KaBOOM! CEO & co-founder. “Without question, Antawn has that passion and it’s evident in the programs he’s sponsored in the past. We’re ecstatic that he’s joining with us in our mission to spread the message that play is invaluable and critical to the development of children.”
The playground that will eventually be built in Shreveport will be designed based on drawings submitted by children from the area at a Design Day event held prior to the build. A locally formed playground planning committee will work closely with Antawn and a local partner to prepare for the build, which will take place in just one day through the efforts of Antawn, a Shreveport-based organization, KaBOOM! and volunteers from the local community.
“Helping out with the build in New Orleans was one of my most memorable experiences during All-Star Weekend,” Jamison said. “I didn’t realize how much hard work goes into building a playground. It was very inspirational to see all those community members and volunteers working together to provide a place where kids can play and feel safe. There’s nothing like physically helping to build a playground for kids. I’m looking forward to the next build so I can step in and get my hands dirty. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Jamison will also assist KaBOOM! in promotional efforts for WE Play! (Workshops Entirely on Play!) – free regional trainings occurring across the country that provide networking opportunities and first-hand success stories on how to bring play back into the lives of children. KaBOOM! will host its first WE Play! training in Washington, D.C. on April 10 with another to follow May 13 in Charlotte – the city where Jamison attended high school.
“The word ‘play’ molded me into the person I am today,” Jamison said. “Growing up in Shreveport was all about having a special place to hang out and converse with my friends. That special place was a little playground. That one little playground gave me so many chances. It helped instill my work ethic and passion for basketball and ultimately helped me figure out what I wanted to do with my life.”
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.