Architect David Rockwell, in Partnership with KaBOOM!, the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation and Local Officials Present an Expandable Collection of Imagination Playground’s Signature Loose Parts to Encourage Creative, Collaborative Kids’ Play

On Wednesday, July 9, 2008 at 12pm, architect David Rockwell of Rockwell Group, New York City Department of Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe, KaBOOM! CEO and co-founder Darell Hammond, Brooklyn Councilman Charles Barron and other local dignitaries will unveil the first-ever Imagination Playground in a BOX – a new children’s play space at the Brownsville Recreation Center playground, located at Linden Boulevard between Mother Gaston Boulevard and Christopher Street in Brooklyn, NY.  Sixty children from the Brownsville Summer Camp will be on hand to see the introduction of their new play space and of course, to play!  This installation is funded by KaBOOM!, a national non-profit  dedicated to bringing play back into the lives of children, as part of their mission to ensure that every child has access to a great place to play within walking distance.  Councilman Barron has been working extensively to transform the Brownsville Recreational Center and its adjacent park into a vibrant, new area for neighborhood children.

“It’s so exciting to see the concept of creative play actually become a reality in New York,” said David Rockwell, founder and CEO of Rockwell Group.  We are incredibly grateful to KaBOOM!, the New York City Parks & Recreation Department, and Brownsville’s local officials for working with us to make these play opportunities available to the children in this community and beyond.”

Watch the entire episode of "House Call With Dr. Sanjay Gupta."
Watch a short teaser video on the build.
Read the blog.
Learn more.

We've changed the Forums! We have a new area to help you get started, learn what's new in the community, and an area where we will feature active members of the community.

We've also greatly reduced the number of Forum categories. For instance, the threads for the Playmaker Network and Playful City USA have now been combined. Also, nearly all of the Forums about building playspaces have been combined into two categories: building and fundraising. We've eliminated many of the categories that no one was visiting and we think it will easier for you to find useful conversations.

Finally, y ou can now search the Forums by thread, username, date, and by keywords. The search function is what we are calling a "beta" test. There may be some bugs and if you come across some, we would be very appreciative if you posted them in the Community Forum (along with any other questions and comments about the changes we've made too!) [More]

Okay... who broke the Internet?
Beginning next week on Wednesday, KaBOOM! HQ will be temporarily shutting down the Forums for what is commonly referred to in the Web world as "maintenance and optimization." The major change you will see is a streamlined number of categories for conversations. We will be taking paring our list of 19 categories down to seven.

We think this will improve your experience on the site and allow to find the information and inspiration you need for your playful projects.

If you have any other suggestions for other features you would like to on the Forums, feel free to post them in the "Website Support" thread (or you can email Jason at jcooper[at]kaboom.org).

Did you finish a project this month?
There were nearly 50 projects scheduled to finish in the month of June. Was your playground one of them?

Let the world know how it all turned out! Visit kaboom.org/projects, login, and on the right side of the page, you will see a link to your playspace projects. Under 'Actions' click 'Edit Project' and you will a screen similar to this:



Change the build date, the actual cost, the project's status (hopefully to "complete"), and when you're done, click 'Save'. It's an easy way to share your amazing news with the KaBOOM! community!

"A moment like this..."
Recently, Jason Cooper, your Online Community "best friend 4ever," shared a fun story about introducing KaBOOM! to a crowd full of techies at a conference. Jason, glory hound that he is, posted that moment on the Forums.

Have you had a moment like this, when people's ears perked up at the mention of your project? Share it in the Forums!

Enjoy these delicious and refreshing "Forums Classic" threads!
Alternative grass/playing surfaces
Purchasing Equipment - Discounts from Vendors?
I'm a new Playmaker - anyone else?

One of the biggest challenges facing any community-build playground project is fundraising. That is why KaBOOM! offers communities occasional grant opportunities to begin or complete playspace projects.

Here are our two current grant opportunities:

KaBOOM! - Grable Foundation Grant
The Grable Foundation and KaBOOM! are joining forces to offer an exciting grant opportunity to qualifying organizations in Allegheny; Butler; Beaver; Washington; and Westmoreland counties in Pennsylvania. This grant program demonstrates the Grable Foundation’s commitment to supporting community-based groups with a desire to build fun and healthy community playgrounds, and exemplifies how KaBOOM! empowers communities with the tools, knowledge and the inspiration necessary to create great places to play. There are two grants left! Download the application here.

Yet another reason to attend a WE Play! near you - $7,500 grants available! (Sponsored by KOOL-AID)
Do the kids in your community need great places to play? If your answer is YES, then sign up for one of our FREE Workshops Entirely on Play (WE Play!).

At select WE Play! events sponsored by KOOL-AID, (Atlanta, Los Angeles, Houston and Cleveland), applications will be available for five $7,500 grants toward building a playground in their community! Only WE Play! attendees are eligible to apply.

At WE Play!, you’ll learn how to plan, fund, and complete a community-build playground project AND advocate for more play in your community.

With the generous support of our partners KOOL-AID and The Home Depot, we've got FREE trainings scheduled across the country including Houston (July 10), Cleveland (Aug. 7), and Atlanta (Aug. 21) in the coming months. Get started on the path toward building a great playground today!

By DANI SCHWEIGERT
Lake County (Ill.) Journals

ROUND LAKE – Get ready, Round Lake Area. A new place to play is coming your way.

Discover Financial Services and KaBOOM!, a national nonprofit organization that helps communities build playgrounds, have teamed up with the Round Lake Area Park District to build a playground and skate park at the park district’s Community Center.

“It’s going to add to the function, operation and amenities of the park district and the community center,” said Jeff Nehila, executive director of the park district. [More]

Want to build a playground in your neighborhood? We've got all the tools you need!

Partnership with KaBOOM!, WaMu bringing new play area to child development center on Compton Boulevard
By Allison Jean Eaton
Compton (Calif.) Bulletin
June 25, 2008

COMPTON – From your typical slide and swing set to more imaginative requests like a tree house, tunnel and “choo-choo train,” toddlers and pre-school age children who spend their days at the child development center at the YWCA offered up requests for their up-and-coming new playground.

Nonprofit KaBOOM! and Washington Mutual (WaMu) have teamed to make the new playground a reality. The two organizations hosted a design day Tuesday, June 17 at the YWCA of Greater Los Angeles’ Compton Boulevard location. [More]

Learn how to plan a Design Day

Don't miss out! We've just posted more new webinars! All you need is a phone and an Internet connection to participate. Register today!

Revitalizing Playspaces, Becoming Part of the Urban Parks Movement
Wed., July 2

Safety, Surfacing, and Vendors…Oh My!
Wed., July 16

How to Plan a Play Day
Thurs., July 17

And don't forget these other great, upcoming webinars:

Becoming a KaBOOM! Community Partner
Mon., June 30

Making the Ask: Getting Business Sponsorships
Wed., July 30

EXTRA! EXTRA! Read All About It! Working with the Media during Your Playground Project
Fri., Aug. 1

Grant Writing 101
Mon., Aug. 19

CNN and KaBOOM! are teaming up to build a playground in New Orleans this Saturday. Here's how you can be a part of the action!

• See photos from the Design Day
• See photos from the Build Day (coming June 30)
• Discuss this playground build in the Forums
• Watch CNN.com/health for their coverage of the day.