September 27, 2018
A national celebration for kids and communities
In October 2017, KABOOM! hosted a national celebration to spotlight the critical role of play for all kids across the country, while also building our 3,000th playground.
On October 18, 2017, local residents from Congress Heights in Washington D.C. joined KABOOM! and THEARC to build the 3,000th playground in KABOOM! history. It was an amazing day as partners from across the country, THEARC, families in the community and the entire KABOOM! staff came together to build this milestone playground in under six hours. This new playground will serve more than 36,500 kids in the community.
That weekend, on October 21, we celebrated the grand opening of the playground with PLAYce for Kids Day. The community festival-like celebration was kicked off by District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser, who officially proclaimed the day annual PLAYce for Kids Day. The Washington Wizards hosted a basketball clinic, WKYS 93.9 DJs entertained the kids and plenty of other activities such as Zumba, face painting and the National Symphony Orchestra’s instrument petting zoo took place throughout the day. The highlight was the unveiling of the brand new, state-of-the-art playground.
Across the country, seven other communities hosted local PLAYce for Kids Day events to highlight the important role of play in all kids’ lives through events and social media campaigns, including: Missoula, MT; La Mesa, CA; Dothan, AL; Geneva, NY; Hernando, MS; Brownsville, TX; and, Detroit, MI. From a soapbox derby to a corn hole tournament, cities celebrated bringing play to all kids.
The nationwide events symbolize a renewed commitment to providing all kids with more opportunities to get the play they need to grow up happy, healthy and ready for life. Thank you to all community and funding partners, volunteers, city leaders and families across the country for your on-going support of our mission.
In preparation for the 3,000th playground build at THEARC in the Congress Heights area of Washington DC, kids put crayon to paper to draw their dream playground. Their ideas and elements from the drawings were incorporated into the final playground design.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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Bezos Family Foundation
The Annie E. Casey Foundation
Delta Air Lines
The Siegal Family
Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation
Shaun T
Kate Becker & Darell Hammond
Playworld
Shouse Village Sharks and Swim Team
LA Sprout Fund
Discover
September 29, 2020
In rural communities, physical distance or a lack of a local tax base can limit kids' access to playspaces and the benefits they provide for health and well-being.
February 22, 2021
Playgrounds have always been a racial justice issue, so let's treat them like one.
May 19, 2021
San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department is partnering with KABOOM!, Kaiser Permanente, and Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds to create a Nature Exploration Area at Heron's Head Park