December 12, 2022
A passion project nearly 20 years in the making, this summer's collaboration with the Police Athletic League of Wilmington (PALW) and Discover to help answer the call to provide a safe place for children in the Northeast Wilmington community to play.
“PALW has never had a space for a playground. In the inner city of Wilmington, we’re all city blocks. The only land around was a space across the street from the center. We communicated our need for funds for the purchase of that space with city officials and government, and we were finally able to purchase the land for the playground 19 years later,” said Purnell.
PALW Deputy Director Kenneth Harris says that the playground is happening due in large part to Purnell’s vision.
“Mr. Purnell has worked his way from entry-level at PALW to Executive Director, creating partnerships with the community and keeping the focus on the kids and the people we serve and want to serve in the future,” Harris said.
KABOOM! worked alongside PALW to bring youth from the center together to dream big and draw what their ideal and dream playground would look like. The result is a kid-designed and community-led collaboration that will impact over 200 children and families in the Wilmington area.
We believe that every kid needs a safe place to play, but far too many are limited by the lack of resources in their communities. We are honored to work alongside communities to create places for kids to play that address the inequities caused by systemic racism and can serve as a pathway for racial healing.
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