Good Things (Can) Take Time Link copied!

A passion project nearly 20 years in the making, this summer’s collaboration with the Police Athletic League of Wilmington (PALW) and Discover to help answer the call to provide a safe place for children in the Northeast Wilmington community to play.

KABOOM! has always believed in the power of community to unify, heal, and rebuild. It’s the driving force behind the collaboration with the Police Athletic League of Wilmington (PALW) and Discover to help answer the call to provide a safe place for children in the Northeast Wilmington community to play. 

“This was the thirty-ninth playground that Discover has helped build with Kaboom,” said Natalie Di Sabatino, Community Affairs at Discover. “Helping provide safe place for kids to play in a community where our employees live and work fits perfectly with our company values of volunteerism and doing the right thing.” 

A passion project nearly 20 years in the making, this playspace was spearheaded by long-time Wilmington resident and PALW Executive Director, Christopher Purnell. Since its inception in 2002, PALW has worked to meet the community’s need for a central location for gatherings and adequate childcare. As their programming expanded, they realized there was an essential component missing – a safe place for kids to play.

“PALW has never had a space for a playground. In the inner city of Wilmington, we’re all city blocks. The only land around was a space across the street from the center. We communicated our need for funds for the purchase of that space with city officials and government, and we were finally able to purchase the land for the playground 19 years later,” said Purnell.

PALW Deputy Director Kenneth Harris says that the playground is happening due in large part to Purnell’s vision.

“Mr. Purnell has worked his way from entry-level at PALW to Executive Director, creating partnerships with the community and keeping the focus on the kids and the people we serve and want to serve in the future,” Harris said.

A safe place to play and more

The Police Athletic League not only acts as a community center, but as a space to help foster relationships between the Wilmington community, the city’s government, and law enforcement. The need for this work has only been amplified since the murder of George Floyd in 2020, a moment that put a deeper strain on an already delicate relationship between police officers and members of Black and brown communities in Wilmington and beyond. 

By developing intentional programs – like a mentoring program with police academy graduates and youth police academy participants – and providing essential services to the community at the center, PALW is making strides to ensure that trust is restored. The playspace serves as a venue for continued relationship building through safety knowledge and safety education.

KABOOM! worked alongside PALW to bring youth from the center together to dream big and draw what their ideal and dream playground would look like. The result is a kid-designed and community-led collaboration that will impact over 200 children and families in the Wilmington area. 

We believe that every kid needs a safe place to play, but far too many are limited by the lack of resources in their communities. We are honored to work alongside communities to create places for kids to play that address the inequities caused by systemic racism and can serve as a pathway for racial healing.