WOW! What an incredible project: incredible partners, incredible outcome!!!

I was very fortunate to be a part of the fantastic playground build in St. Louis, MO, on Sept. 8, 2007. The project was part of a year-long celebration for the Build-A- Bear Workshop's 10-year "annibearsary." Working with KaBOOM! was a fantastic experience. Being involved in the project from start to finish was truly amazing, and watching the children draw and talk about their dream playground was so exciting. Watching it all come together with over 700 volunteers was a sight to see. Jen DeMelo, our KaBOOM! project manager, was the main cheerleader for this project. She guided us through the entire process, and never once did I see her spirit dampen, even when it started to rain. Being in charge of a project that is bringing hundreds of volunteers together from different aspects of life sometimes can be tricky, but Jen always handled things like a pro.

What does the word KaBOOM! sound like to you? To me, it sounds like excitement, and activity, and impact! KaBOOM! has brought all of those things to kids around North America. In 2005 they introduced an initiative called Operation Playground to build 100 playgrounds in the Gulf Coast to help with the recovery process of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. So far, KaBOOM! has built 59 playgrounds in Texas, Mississippi, and Louisiana through this program.

Let me introduce myself.  My name is Hannah, and I have been an intern at KaBOOM! for the past week.

What an exciting day!  We started off by unloading the truck will the playground pieces.  That just set the mood for the rest of the day.  Everyone jumped to be the one who got to unload the big yellow slide!  We broke off into different group from sawing wood, coloring posters and separates tiny pieces so that everything would be organized and go smoothly on Build Day.  After lunch we had an informative meeting lead by our fearless, organized leader Amanda, who assigned everyone to their desired groups for build day.  We then ventured back out in to the hot desert sun for some more chopping of wood and spray painting the outline of the 50-ft. wide United States of America (it took more than a couple people to hold that stencil down).  We ended our day with a quick clean up and a final dare for our friend Jim, to mount a 12-foot pile of wood chips, which he was successful at.  We can’t wait for Build Day and to see everything complete! 

Sarah and Wendy of Build-A-Bear Workshop

After a full day of working at the Bloordale Build-A-Bear park in Toronto, Canada, only one word can describe it: KaBOOM! The day was full of smiling faces and eager community members willing to spend a day packed of doing busy jobs. A member of the community, Keith Storey, kicked the day off with some amazing and very interesting stretches (the dig, spread the mulch, and raise the slide). Not only did it get workers pumped up, but it also put unforgettable smiles on the many children’s faces. The best aspects of the park however, isn’t the slides or the rock climbing walls, or the seemingly endless amounts of mulch; but instead it’s the fact of knowing how the park truly was a community effort, and is now filled with love and (soon to be) incredible memories. Although, (since I am still a kid at heart ) sitting here writing this and staring at the park is killing me! It’s so tempting not to jump on it right now and start playing! I can’t wait until I can come out here and see all of the smiling, laughing children enjoying this amazing park. And even though it was an extremely hard day I know in 10 years or even 20 when I come here with my own kids, even though it won’t be as new, the memories had here will definitely make it shine as if it was preserved in a glass box every day it has existed. So thank you so much KaBOOM! and Build-A-Bear, and everyone else who made this park possible! It’s  going to definitely become an important landmark in our community.

Meghan Froebelius 

Thoughts on friendship from the Houston kids getting a playground from Build-A-Bear Workshop on July 18:

I make friends at the playground by talking. I swing with my friends, play tag, and run.
-Willie, third grade

Playgrounds are a good thing in our neighborhood because lots of kids make good friends. It helps kids get out of trouble. That’s why each neighborhood needs a playground, it is good for the neighborhood. Kids grow up to be best friends. My best friend and I met at the playground.
- a sixth grade student

I make friends at the playground by talking and playing with friends to get to know them better. When you know you will try to meet them every day. Then you and your friend would like to go to school together and try to get in the same class. When you and your friend get in the same class, you are your friend will try to sit by each other. When you and your friend sit by each other y’all will play tag and other games on the playground and that’s how you meet a friend on the playground.
- Jason, sixth grade

I make friends on the playground by playing on the slide, playing on the swing and by climbing the monkey bars. At the playground my friends and I play in the sand making a sandcastle.
- Rayniquea, third grade

I like to play with my friends. I play in the sandbox and ride my bike. I also love sliding.
-Tyireion, kindergarten

New York City Launches “Schoolyards to Playgrounds” Initiative – What Is Your Community Doing with Locked-up Playgrounds? 

NYC Mayor Bloomberg has opened city schoolyards on the weekends, beginning a long-term initiative for every New Yorker to be within a 10-minute walk of a park or playground 

The KaBOOM! vision is to see a playground within walking distance of every child in America.  With such a vision, we have been really pleased by what we see going on in New York City, and our hats off to Mayor Bloomberg and his administration.