The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, the City of Detroit, The Skillman Foundation, General Motors and the Quicken Loans Community Fund will join KaBOOM! for the second time to build a playground and help ensure all kids have a safe place to play. The new playground will help make play the easy choice for kids and families in Detroit to enjoy, an area that has experienced years of disinvestment – particularly in communities of color – that has led to inequitable access to play.
The group first partnered in Detroit’s Cody Rouge neighborhood to build a playground last year in Stein Park, which brought together hundreds of volunteers from the community and partner organizations. The Stein Park project introduced a playground, and also an innovative, challenging adventure course, designed to meet the needs of older kids – helping them to continue to discover, explore and collaborate through play. Based on that positive community impact, the partners are working together again as part of a continued effort to address the unmet need for more equitable and safe playspaces for kids in the Detroit area. This project is part of a broader, collective effort to help redevelop neighborhoods across Detroit through creating more kid-centric spaces for families.
The playground will be built in August. The project begins with Design Day in May, where kids from the community surrounding Palmer Park will come together to draw their dream playground. The final playground design will be based on their drawings and will provide a community with more than 1,000 kids with a great, safe place to play.
“We are excited to once again partner with KaBOOM! and these local leaders to bring safe play areas to kids in their neighborhoods,” said James Boyle, Vice President of Programs and Communications at the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. “Every child deserves access to equitable, safe and creative play spaces. It’s important that we meet them where they are.”
“Play is not a luxury, but an essential part of childhood that helps all grow up happy, healthy and resilient. We know that many kids across Detroit aren’t getting the play they need to thrive,” said James Siegal, CEO of KaBOOM!. “We are thrilled to partner with these local leaders to ensure that the kids who are often overlooked have the opportunity to reach their full potential. We are grateful to the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation and our partners for opening the doors for all kids to have the childhood they deserve through play.”
This is the sixth playground to be built as part of a broader effort led by the Built to Play Initiative, sponsored by the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, that is to give kids more opportunities for free play through the construction of over 40 innovative play spaces and 20 skateparks in Western New York and Southeast Michigan; and KaBOOM!’s second project with The Skillman Foundation, General Motors and the Quicken Loans Community Fund.
Contact:
KaBOOM!: Tamara Grider | 202-464-6196 | [email protected]
Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation: Carly Strachan | 313-885-1895 | [email protected]