Stories

Powerful stories of how KaBOOM! transforms communities across the country

Volunteer returns to hometown to make a difference

Meet Ed Nora, a CarMax associate who recently volunteered to build a new playground at Smith Park in San Gabriel, CA— the same magical place where he played as a kid.

See how neighbors came together to create a great place for kids

Chicago community unites to provide a safe place for kids to play

Chicago CRED, KaBOOM!, Chicago Park District and the Chicago White Sox, alongside residents of the Pullman neighborhood, rolled up their sleeves to bring a safe place to play to some of the city’s most vulnerable kids.

Read how a truce between gangs led to a new playground and a renewed community

Rebuilding Texas, together

More than 200 volunteers came together to help build a playground for the kids of FamilyLink at Legacy Ranch, a foster and adoption center in Gonzales. With the support of Rebuild Texas Fund, KaBOOM! is helping dozens of communities affected by Hurricane Harvey.

Read how a community faced life after Hurricane Harvey together

Reinvigorating an East Baltimore community with a new playground

Since 2001, KaBOOM! has brought more than $5 million dollars in resources to address the needs of Baltimore's kids. In June 2017, we built new partnerships to bring a new playground to Eager Park

Watch how a new playground brought the Eager Park community together

Play Everywhere creates opportunities for play in everyday spaces

Play Everywhere reshapes city infrastructure to include kids and families – and play – and turns moments of frustration into moments of joy.

Watch how Play Everywhere can turn moments of frustration into moments of joy

From our CEO: To solve the epidemic of kids and screens, say, 'Yes' to zip lines and super slides

When given the choice, most kids would rather play outside. Increasing outdoor play for kids isn't a question of desire, its a question of priorities, resources, public will and equity.

Learn more about the real solutions we can take to increase play away from screens

KaBOOM! and Target hosted the 2018 Play Everywhere Tour in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and Miami

As part of a broader Hurricane Harvey recovery effort, KaBOOM! and UnitedHealthcare teamed up with the South Houston Elementary community to rebuild the school's playground.

See the highlights from the 2018 Play Everywhere Tour

City council member works to build a playground for her community and her son

Since she was elected as a city council member in 2015, Cara Spencer has been working to make her neighborhood, Gravois Park, a safer place for her son and for all who live there.

Learn how Cara Spencer transformed a dangerous park into a place for kids and families

Our 3000th playground, celebrating a PLAYce for kids

Local residents from Congress Heights in Washington D.C. joined KaBOOM! to build the 3,000th playground in KaBOOM! history— an amazing day as partners from across the country, families in the community and the entire KaBOOM! staff came together to build this milestone playground.

See photos and videos from this magical day

Volunteering experience leads to healing and renewed relationships

Old friends worked side-by-side, and at the end of the day, they joined the full team of volunteers to celebrate the completion of the brand new playground they'd helped build together.

Learn how one volunteer found catharsis shoveling mulch

Putting kids first in Baltimore through Play More B'More

Play More B'More creates playspaces that make it easier for kids to get the play they need in Baltimore. Through multi-sector partnerships, we are increasing access to play in some of Baltimore's most challenged neighborhoods.

Baltimore revitalized their communities by putting kids first

Operation Playground: Looking back at the Gulf Coast, 10 years later

When Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, KaBOOM! launched Operation Playground. Not to rebuild those all-too-important streets and homes, but to help rebuild childhoods. Through the program and in the following years, KaBOOM! channeled more than $27.1 million and mobilized 43,791 volunteers into the Gulf Coast to build playgrounds and restore childhoods.