Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation

Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation and KABOOM! are giving kids equitable access to great new places for active play across Western New York and Southeast Michigan.

Partner since
2018
Fun fact
The Foundation's namesake Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. was the longtime owner of the Buffalo Bills from 1959 until his passing in 2014. He believed in being active from a young age and all throughout life, and stayed active through tennis and other exercises into his 90s.
Ralph C. Wilson, Jr Foundation

Every child knows how to play, but not every child has the opportunity. From State of Play research in Western New York and Southeast Michigan, we know that play is essential to a child's healthy development, but due to a shortage of places where they can engage in non-structured play, fewer kids than ever are joining in the fun.

Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, KABOOM!, The Skatepark Project and youth serving organizations across Western New York and Southeast Michigan have teamed up through the Built to Play initiative to turn the tide by giving children and youth safe, exciting places to do what they do best—Play.

With the Play Everywhere Challenge, we are supporting the creation of 44 innovative play spaces in unexpected public spaces – a summer sledding hill, a public art nano-sized golf course stretching across a downtown, photo-voltaic heat island climbing boulders, and more. We also involve communities in the planning and construction of new large-scale community playgrounds with innovative design, with eight playgrounds completed to date.

For more information, visit ralphcwilsonjrfoundation.org and rwBuiltToPlay.org.

Follow the foundation's work by visiting twitter.com/rcwjrf, instagram.com/rcwjrf, and facebook.com/rcwjrf.

Videos

The Build to Play initiative

Built to Play Playground and Adventure Course Project with the community in Salamanca, NY

Built to Play Playground Project with the Cody Rouge neighborhood in Detroit, MI