Since 2022, KABOOM! has teamed up with The Powell Foundation to increase access to places to play in Huntsville, Texas. Working alongside partners such as the City of Huntsville, the Boys and Girls Club of Walker County, and Huntsville Independent School District, we’ve built a total of seven playgrounds at parks, schools, and nonprofits, making progress in addressing playspace equity across the city. Our partnership is a result of shared values and is a testament to all that can be achieved when kids’ well-being and environmental stewardship are a priority.
Each playground built with Powell includes environmentally resilient features and promotes conservation education. To help mitigate the effects of climate change and reduce heat islands, these playgrounds are equipped with shading structures, ensuring kids can play safely outside year-round. This is especially important in the summer months, where temperatures average 95 degrees each day. Native plants line the playspaces, with the hope of attracting pollinators, improving soil, and reducing flooding and air pollution. Educational signage placed on and around the playspace encourages kids to learn more about the environment, sparking curiosity and teaching them about plants, animals, and weather cycles.
This multi-year partnership has made significant strides in ending playspace inequity in Huntsville. With the construction of the last playspace project at Scott Johnson Elementary School, every public elementary school in the city has had a new playground built or replaced, as well as two public parks and the local Boys and Girls Club.
The reach of Powell’s investment can be felt across Huntsville. Because we partnered with the school district, parks department, and the Boys and Girls Club, kids in Huntsville have access to state-of-the-art playspaces in different neighborhoods, increasing the likelihood they’ll be used. Throughout each build, Powell was exceptionally community-driven, remaining flexible and responding to the needs of each school, park, or nonprofit and leaning heavily on their expertise.
It’s been a long time coming. I put in the application with KABOOM! for this playground two weeks before Hurricane Harvey. But they did better than just us. Because of the grant they wrote, The Powell Foundation awarded us $1.5 million to build seven new playscapes across Walker County. We tried our best to use local contractors so that all the money could stay right here. The city and the county were behind us every step of the way. This is nothing but a community build.
– Michelle Spencer, Boys and Girls Club CEO
“Both KABOOM and The Powell Foundation were a blessing. We were so fortunate at Huntsville Elementary to be able to be a part of this amazing opportunity. From the preparation and planning phase to the actual build days, it was amazing to see how the students, parents and community came together for our students.”
– Christy D. Cross, Former Principal of Huntsville Elementary School
“Not only does this generation of kids have places to play, learn, grow, and experience the joys of childhood, but Powell’s commitment to environmental stewardship has inspired others to join the cause. We’ve seen interest in other community partners wanting to adopt outdoor learning areas or information signage that connects kids to the environment that exists around their playspace.”
– Kathryn Lusk, VP of Field Operations at KABOOM!
