UPDATE
Watch the playground be built in this 2-minute video via the KC Star>>
WHO
225 volunteers from CarMax, Cornerstones of Care, City of Kansas City, Missouri Parks and Recreation and the local Kansas City community
WHAT
| More than 225 volunteers from CarMax (@CarMax), Cornerstones of Care(@CornerstonesKC), City of Kansas City, Missouri Parks and Recreation(@KCMOParks), organizers from KaBOOM! (@kaboom) and Kansas City residents will join forces to give area kids a new playground to explore, imagine and create. The design is based on children’s drawings created at a special design event in August. |
WHY
A playground is more than a playground. It’s a brain expander, friend maker and muscle builder. Play is central to a child’s ability to grow into a productive adult. It enables children to learn, grow and simply enjoy being a kid.
Currently, many of the toddlers in the Hyde Park and Old Hyde Park neighborhoods do not have a dedicated safe and accessible place to play. This playspace will bring Kansas City one step closer to becoming more playable, by making it easier for kids to get the balanced and active play they need to thrive. A playful child has unlimited potential, and in building this playground together, more than 1,500 Kansas City kids will have the play-filled childhood they deserve.
Since 1996, KaBOOM! has been dedicated to bringing balanced and active play into the daily lives of all kids because KaBOOM! believes #playmatters for all kids.
The CarMax Foundation has provided the majority of the funding for the playground through its national partnership with KaBOOM!, supporting The Foundation’s commitment to furthering the cause of children’s healthy living. The project is among 33 playgrounds The CarMax Foundation and KaBOOM! will build across the country by the end of 2018 – a $5 million investment.
| WHEN | ||
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8:30- 9 a.m.: Kick-off ceremony
10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Best viewing of playground construction
1-2:30 p.m.: Final construction phase
2:30-3 p.m.: Ribbon-cutting ceremony
WHERE
Hyde Park, 3790 Gillham Road Kansas City, MO 64111
VISUALS
- Before and after shots
- Volunteers assembling, carrying, and installing brightly colored playground equipment
- Volunteers moving 43,740 square feet of safety surfacing by hand
- Ribbon-cutting ceremony to dedicate the playground
ABOUT
Cornerstones of Care: Cornerstones of Care is a family of human service organizations dedicated to strengthening children, families and the communities. It positively impacts the health and well-being of communities by delivering prevention, treatment and support services at its Gillis, Ozanam, Marillac and Spofford campuses. Learn more about its collective impact at cornerstonesofcare.org.
City of Kansas City, Missouri Parks and Recreation: Kansas City, Missouri Parks and Recreation provides facilities, programs and recreational opportunities for the community that contribute to an aesthetically pleasing environment and enhanced quality of life. The department maintains 220 parks, 12,242 acres of parkland, 158 miles of trails and bikeways, 29 lakes, hundreds of athletic fields and tennis courts, 103 playgrounds, and five public golf courses. Miles of scenic boulevards and parkways crisscross the city, where 48 fountains and 119 monuments and sculptures surprise and delight. Ten community centers, along with five museums, provide the setting for socially equitable and community-driven programming.
The CarMax Foundation: The CarMax Foundation is designed to enrich the communities where our associates live and work and has donated more than $30 million since 2003. Funding programs are made available through a portion of CarMax, Inc.’s pre-tax profits. CarMax, a member of the FORTUNE 500 and the S&P 500, and on the FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For® list for 12 consecutive years, is the nation’s largest retailer of used vehicles. Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, CarMax currently operates 160 superstores in 79 markets. The CarMax consumer offer features low, no-haggle prices, a broad selection of CarMax Quality Certified used vehicles, and superior customer service. During the 12 months ending February 29, 2016, the company retailed 619,936 used cars and sold 394,437 wholesale vehicles at our in-store auctions. For more information, access the CarMax website at www.carmax.com For more information about The CarMax Foundation, visit foundation.carmax.com.
About KaBOOM!: KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated to giving all kids – particularly those growing up in poverty in America – the childhood they deserve filled with balanced and active play, so they can thrive. Since 1996, KaBOOM! has collaborated with partners to build, open or improve nearly 16,300 playgrounds, engaged more than one million volunteers and served 8.1 million kids. KaBOOM! creates great places to play, inspires communities to promote and support play, and works to drive the national discussion about the importance of play in fostering healthy and productive lives. To learn why #playmatters: visit kaboom.org or join the conversation at twitter.com/kaboom or facebook.com/kaboom.