View photos from Design Day

Following the children’s portion, more than 30 adults from the community met to learn about the KaBOOM! planning process and sign up for committees responsible for construction, food, safety, youth involvement, and volunteer recruitment. The enthusiastic group also established the planning committee’s weekly meeting time and created their own ‘wish list’ of items for the new playground to be constructed on June 14.

Partners for this special build are the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Fannie Mae, the Foundation for the Mid South, the Hancock Housing Resource Center and the City of Bay St. Louis.

The Gulf Coast Community Foundation is the administrator of the Mississippi Hurricane Recovery Fund, which was established by Governor Barbour days after Hurricane Katrina made landfall. This project is one of 17 that will be completed in the lower six counties this year using funds from the Hurricane Recovery Fund. Fannie Mae and the Foundation for the Mid South are also providing matching funds for each project. The Hancock Housing Resource Center (HRRC) is an initiative of the Hancock Community Development Foundation. The main role of the HHRC is to find ways to address housing needs in Hancock County.

“A major part of developing housing is community participation,” said Sherry-Lea Bloodworth, Director of the Hancock Housing Resource Center. “What better way to build close community ties than through a KaBOOM! playground build? I can’t think of a better way to stimulate community participation and reinvigorate weary residents as we continue to rebuild. After all, the KaBOOM! process not only builds playgrounds, it brings communities together. We are so thrilled to be partners for the KaBOOM! 100th playground.”

The first Operation Playground project took place on December 17, 2005 at Carol Vegas Park in Bay St. Louis. More than 600 volunteers gathered on that day to help build the first new playground in the Gulf Coast after Katrina and Rita devastated the landscape. Since then, KaBOOM! and our partners have built 95 playgrounds in towns from Houston to Mobile, bringing play back to the lives of children living in these areas and giving neighbors old and new the chance to build a sense of community lost in the storms.

While KaBOOM! will continue to build in the Gulf after the 100th playground, this important milestone will allow us to celebrate our success with friends, draw attention to the ongoing needs of those living in the Gulf and remind people about the importance of having safe and fun places children can play.

• As planning gets underway for this important build, we want to hear from you! Share your story of how you helped bring play back to the Gulf Coast.
  
  
• Be a part of the movement and join us for this special project. Volunteer for the 100th build!
  
  
• Take a walk down memory lane with us! Check out pictures from all of our Operation Playground projects.

Learn more about Operation Playground.

Kids help raise funds for playground
San Carlos children holding joint birthday party for Burton Park

By Mark Abramson, San Mateo County (Calif.) Times

April 27, 2008

Two San Carlos children are holding a joint birthday bash Sunday to help raise funds for a new playground in Burton Park.

Chase Wienckowski and Natalie Williams, along with 30 of their friends, will set up lemonade stands during their 11th birthday party in the park. They plan on holding a competition to see which stand can sell the most lemonade and raise the most money for the playground.

"They wanted to help," San Carlos Parks and Recreation Director Barry Weiss said. "We are getting close."

About $76,000 is still needed for the new playground, Weiss said. The city has contributed $415,000 for the $850,000 project, another $253,000 has been raised by selling naming rights to parts of the future playground and an additional $106,000 has been collected.

...

Read the full article

Discuss fundraising in the Forums!

Among her many accomplishments, listed in this article, is helping to coordinate a KaBOOM! playground build at Gautier Elementary School on Jan. 19, 2008.

Volunteers put playground up
Students had role in design
By Jay Hughes
Sun Herald
Apr. 26, 2008

Excerpt:

Jerry Jackson, a team leader in electrical design engineering at Chevron, said his 12-year-old son graduated Cherokee last year and his 5-year-old will attend next year, so he didn't mind giving up his scheduled day off to help mix cement.

"It was the right thing to do," he said. "I'd take a day off to do it. It's that important."

Students were part of the process, also. Each had the chance to place one piece of tile in a mosaic under construction, and Bankston said they also painted trash cans and bricks for a walkway.

Read the full article

Discuss your playground building experiences in the Forums!

April 24, 2008
Victoria L. Coman
The Birmingham News

Epic Elementary will sparkle with colorful pieces of plastic, metal bars and the spirit of volunteers Friday as it gets a playground in one day.

KaBOOM! is coming to Epic to help return playground equipment to the south Birmingham school's campus. The new playground will include swings, ladders and a climbing wall.

In March 2007, parents and faculty tore out the wood and rubber equipment and began raising money for a new playground. The old equipment had been around since at least the 1970s. Children were getting splinters, and nuts and bolts were coming loose, said Principal Vickie Stokes.

...

On Feb. 14, the school's students, parents and faculty came up with ideas for the playground. Officials from KaBOOM!, the Junior League of Birmingham and the Charity League of Birmingham also gave ideas, Stokes said. Such idea sessions are common practice for KaBOOM! projects.

Read the full article

'You're It!' May Again Be Heard at Va. School
Michael Alison Chandler
The Washington Post
April 24, 2008

Students at Kent Gardens Elementary School in McLean are refining their dodging skills and polishing their recess etiquette this week in preparation for a game of tag.

Three weeks ago, Principal Robyn Hooker halted the pastime, saying that it had become too aggressive. Her decision set off debate among parents -- some appreciative of her caution and others wary that the restriction was excessive. Now, a committee of administrators and teachers has devised a plan to reinstate the game.

After a week of "reorientation lessons on playground safety" in physical education classes, classroom discussions of safe recess behavior and monitoring by teachers on the blacktop, students are likely to be yelling "You're it!" by tomorrow.

Read the full article

Discuss this article in the Forums

Once shuttered city playground now getting upgrade

BY MIKE FAHER

Just one year ago, the gates of Johnstown’s controversial skateboard park were locked.

Now, the Fairfield Avenue facility’s future looks bright due to the efforts of a volunteer organization.

Members of the West End Improvement Group on Monday kicked off improvements designed to transform the park into a greener, more user-friendly space for kids and nearby residents.

And they noted that more cash is needed to make those plans a reality.

...

Read the full article
Discuss playspace maintenance and renovation in our Forums

It's official! The 100th Operation Playground project will take place on Saturday, June 14 at Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Park in Bay St. Louis, fulfilling a commitment we made to build 100 playgrounds in the areas affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The project will kick off with a Design Day on Apr. 28. Our partners for this special build are the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Fannie Mae, the Foundation for the MidSouth, the Hancock Housing Resource Center and the City of Bay St. Louis.

While we will continue to build in the Gulf after the 100th playground, this important milestone will allow us to celebrate our success with friends, draw attention to the ongoing needs of those living in the Gulf and remind people about the importance of having safe and fun places children can play.

As planning gets underway for this important build, we want to hear from you! Share your story of how you helped bring play back to the Gulf Coast.

Be a part of the movement and join us for this special project. Volunteer for the 100th build!

Take a walk down memory lane with us! Check out pictures from all of our Operation Playground projects.

Learn more about Operation Playground

The housing market is tanking, but one kind of real estate is gaining value in major U.S. cities: parkland.

After years of infighting over what to do with the few remaining areas of open space in metropolitan areas, several communities are creating huge urban parks — several times the size of New York's 843-acre Central Park.

"We grew so rapidly in the '80s and '90s in the rate we were consuming land, people did become alarmed," says David Goldberg, spokesman for Smart Growth America, a national coalition promoting green space. "This desire for parkland and capitalizing on natural assets is really taking hold."

It is spurred by several factors, including mounting environmental concerns, improved property values for park-side real estate, increased demand for green space from health-conscious people moving back to cities and a greater availability of vacant industrial land.

...

''There's growing awareness of the importance of providing green space to cities around the country,'' said City Parks Alliance and National Association for Olmsted (one of the Central Park designers) Parks Executive Director Catherine Nagel, with Yale University professor and park planner Alexander Garvin stressing, ''The environmental movement is looking to use as much of the landscape as possible to clean the air, provide natural drainage and do the kind of nature-friendly work that parks do.''

Read the whole article

School's playground delights the senses
Churchill Park opens facility

LOUISVILLE - Kendra Hall said she seldom takes her 18-year-old son Kyle to a playground.

Kyle has cerebral palsy and is wheelchair-bound. Usually, Hall can't push his wheelchair through the grass that surrounds many playgrounds, and if she can, there are no ramps to get Kyle up to the slides.

That all changed last week when Kyle's school, Churchill Park, opened a $307,000 sensory playground last week built for students with special needs.

It sits on a rubber-tiled surface -- no mulch -- and is equipped with ramps and has noise makers, bumpy slides and bright colors that play to several senses.

"This is the greatest thing this school could have done for these kids," Hall said shortly after going down a slide with Kyle, who clapped his hands and laughed. "He's absolutely loving this."

Churchill Park School, in south Louisville, is geared toward students with special needs. Most of its 96 students have a physical or mental disability.

...

Students from the school played on the playground for the first time at the ceremony.

They banged on the large drums, spun gadgets that made rattling noises and went down bumpy slides. Wheelchair-bound students sat on the fun-glider, which rocked its riders.

Read the full article
Discuss accessible playgrounds in our Forums

Dance, auction boost Stratham playground plan

Monday, April 21, 2008
Foster’s (N.H.) Daily Democrat

PORTSMOUTH — Stratham residents and town officials brought out Afro wigs, fake handlebar mustaches, pastel dresses and knee-length stockings for the second Dancing with the Stratham Stars fundraiser Saturday night in the Sheraton Harborside hotel ballroom.

The event, put on by the Stratham Playground Committee and Stratham Recreation Commission, featured disco dancing, a silent auction and a raffle, with proceeds going to the second phase of construction for a children's playground at Stevens Park.

Claire Ellis, a mother of four and a member of the playground committee, led the ceremonies Saturday night. She said the group was hoping to raise $15,000 to cover the costs of adding a large playstructure maze to the existing playground.

...

Saturday's disco-themed event featured a collaborative "hustle" dance by town officials, including Recreation Department Director Tara Barker, the Rev. David Dodge of the Stratham Community Center, Assistant Fire Chief David Emanuel and Selectmen Kirk Scammon. Auction items on display included jewelry, handbags, sports memorabilia, artwork by local artists, pottery and gift certificates to local restaurants.

Read the full article
Find more fundraising ideas
Discuss fundraising in our Forums

Academy Of Country Music and The Home Depot select country music group Rascal Flatts to receive Humanitarian Award

Award to be presented during the 43rd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards to air live from MGM Grand in Las Vegas Sunday, May 18 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS

ENCINO, Calif. (April 17, 2008) – The Academy of Country Music and The Home Depot announced today that multi-platinum country music group Rascal Flatts will be the 2008 recipient of the Academy of Country Music/The Home Depot Humanitarian Award, to be presented during the 43rd Annual Academy Of Country Music Awards ceremony honoring country music’s best and hottest emerging talent. The show will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, May 18, 2008 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.

In its seventh year, the Humanitarian Award recognizes country music artists who serve others, have a generous spirit and help build the dreams of those in need. The members of Rascal Flatts – Jay DeMarcus, Gary LeVox and Joe Don Rooney – were selected by a special blue-ribbon committee comprised of executives in the country music industry as well as local and national philanthropic leaders for their ongoing community service and charitable giving of their time and talent.

“We have been blessed with some incredible successes in our career the past couple of years,” said Rooney. “The most rewarding thing for us is the opportunity to give back to our communities. We’d like to thank The Home Depot and the Academy for recognizing us in such a humbling way.”

As the recipient of the Humanitarian Award, Rascal Flatts will receive a beautiful crystal trophy designed by Tiffany & Co. during the live CBS telecast. They will also be honored with a playground donated by The Home Depot and the Company’s national nonprofit partner KaBOOM!, which envisions a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America. The playground will be built by The Home Depot volunteers and community members in the city of Rascal Flatts choice. Past recipients of the Humanitarian Award include Brooks & Dunn, Vince Gill, Lonestar, Martina McBride, Neal McCoy and Reba McEntire.

Program gives disabled kids a place to play
Friday, April 18, 2008
New York Times News Service

LOS ANGELES -- The mission a decade ago was simple: Build "one beautiful playground" for kids with disabilities so they too could soar on swings, frolic in sandboxes and traverse bridges.

For the folks at Shane's Inspiration -- a nonprofit started in 1997 to honor Shane Alexander, who only lived two weeks after being born paralyzed -- that mission seemed strong enough to get the roughly 180,000 kids with disabilities in Southern California to come out and play.

But the children didn't come.

"There were a lot of haunting questions over the last 10 years," said Tiffany Harris, program co-founder, along with Shane's parents, Catherine Curry-Williams and Scott Williams. "Where are the children? Why aren't they coming? And how do we remove the bias? We didn't want this to be a hollow mission."

Today, the program has turned a corner with 16 universally accessible playgrounds in Southern California and more on the way, supported in part by the state's Proposition 40.

There also is an educational program in 40 schools aimed at combating bias against children with disabilities, and monthly play dates have brought out thousands of kids.

And now, waiting around the bend, are 80 playgrounds planned throughout the country and as far away as India.

...

Read the full article

Discuss accessible playgrounds in our Forums

Back to the playground
Forget the gym. For a good workout, look no further than your neighborhood park.
Wisconsin State Journal

For your next workout, personal trainer Jim Post wants you to take a page from your child 's playbook.
Actually, he wants you to visit their playground.

There -- among the climbers, slides and swingsets -- you 'll find endless opportunities for staying in great all-around shape, Post says.

Keeping fit naturally, outside and with nothing fancy in terms of equipment is the philosophy behind Post 's new Wisconsin Union mini-course offering: "The Playground Workout. "

...

Even those without a lot of time for a workout can use Post 's playground ideas.

"A workout like this does not have to be long to benefit from it, " he says. "Even 15 minutes would be enough to work up a sweat and get the blood pumping."

And if you hit the playground with kids in tow, the workout is great because there 's plenty they can do right along with you. Even a simple game of tag can count toward the running portion of the workout -- and climbing, too, if you 're going up and down trying to avoid being "IT," for example.

"Any playground with a metal swingset and sand, picnic tables and maybe a carousel will work just fine, " he says. "The more stuff to play on, the more you can use your imagination to make a boring exercise into something new and challenging. "

...

Read the full article

Discuss this article in our Forums

Church spends Sunday giving Citrus a total makeover

BYLINE: By SARAH KINGSBURY-Staff Writer
Chico Enterprise-Record

CHICO -- Children at Citrus School will be surprised to find a colorful new playground on campus today, installed over the weekend with the help of hundreds of churchgoers.

An estimated 350 volunteers at Bidwell Presbyterian Church helped paint a holistic playground on an asphalt lot behind the main school building.

"For every fine motor skill, there's a larger motor skill that goes with it," said Jan Reale, who drummed up the idea of a holistic playground in her master's thesis at Chico State University in 1980. The first one was put in at Paradise Elementary School, where she is a second-grade teacher, and about 60 have since been installed around the state.

Reale said she became involved with the project because her son and daughter-in-law are members at the church.

Before the asphalt lot was painted there was only blacktop with a few hopscotch squares to play on. Now students can study multiplication, reading and the life cycle of a salmon to name only a few while playing colorfully painted games.

Each part of the playground is based on teaching children a cognitive or motor skill using visual discrimination, embedded in bright shapes, maps and diagrams.

The reading railroad, for example, winds around the middle of the playground, each track displaying a different sight word. There are also informative paintings everywhere, including a giant diagram of the heart, the food pyramid, the food chain, the solar system, a map of the United States and a map of the world.

"The thing is it's unlimited," Reale said. "It can keep on growing as long as you have room."

...

Read the full article

Discuss this article in the Forums

A playground pastime is getting a timeout this spring at a McLean elementary school.

Robyn Hooker, principal of Kent Gardens Elementary School, has told students they may no longer play tag during recess after determining that the game of chasing, dodging and yelling "You're it!" had gotten out of hand. Hooker explained to parents in a letter this month that tag had become a game "of intense aggression."

The principal said that her goal is to keep students safe and that she hopes to restore tag (as well as touch football, also now on hold) after teachers and administrators review recess policies.

The decision has touched off a debate among parents. Some call the restriction an example of overzealous rulemaking that fails to address root problems and undermines children's development; others say it's best to err on the side of caution.

"We are regulating the fun out of normal childhood activity," said Jan van Tol, father of a Kent Gardens sixth-grader. "In our effort to be so overprotective, we are not letting children be children."

Gerri Swarm, secretary of the school's Parent-Teacher Association, said she was glad the principal was taking seriously student concerns about being pushed or shoved. "In this day and age, you can't dismiss this as something not to worry about," she said.

Read the full article

Discuss this article in our Forums

Year-Round, All-Ages Play Highlights Yuma's 'Playful City USA' Status

By Larry Nelson
Mayor, City of Yuma, Ariz.

U.S. Mayor magazine - Apr. 7, 2008
Reprinted with permission

Yuma Mayor Larry Nelson

Yuma’s participation in KaBOOM’s Playful City USA initiative, which is a national recognition program that honors cities and towns across the nation for “creating an agenda for play,” not only placed the city in elite company across the nation, but provided many other benefits as well. Those include improvements in planning and public participation and increasing awareness for Parks and Recreation and its role in how citizens play.

But perhaps most important is that this campaign allowed Yuma residents—and the world—to learn that the “we” in “We Play the Yuma Way” is everybody—from the very young to the very old. And the “way” is every day—365 days a year.

Yuma’s a ‘Playful City’ for everybody, all year round. Playing in Yuma starts at a very young age—virtually all ages can play in Yuma, from young kids to senior citizens: from the ‘tot lot’ at our Stewart Vincent Wolfe Creative Playground and our recreation programs for toddlers all the way up to the seniors who run and walk on our paths and in our 5K/10K’s...

Playful City USA: El Paso

Watch El Paso's video

From the March 2008 issue of Texas Town & City magazine
Reprinted with permission

Play among children is on the decline throughout the United States. Childhood obesity rates have more than doubled in the last 20 years. Increasingly, children lack a safe and enjoyable playground within walking distance in their neighborhood.

In an effort to improve the state of play, the national non-profit organization KaBOOM! launched its Playful City USA initiative in 2007 as part of its National Campaign for Play. In October, KaBOOM! announced the 31 founding Playful City USA communities. Cities like Atlanta and San Francisco made the cut. But so did communities like Wapello, Iowa (population 2,200) and Shirley, Mass. (population 7,600).

The lone representative from the Lone Star State was El Paso.

And the city is extremely proud.

“After this designation, and being the only city in Texas that was honored, El Pasoans are very proud and joyful that the city has received such recognition and that this will help lead the way on other future promotional and tourism related opportunities,” El Paso Recreation Services Manager Joe Rodriguez said.

To Rodriguez, who was instrumental in the application process, it was common sense that El Paso should apply to be recognized for the city’s efforts. El Paso had previously made a commitment to providing a substantial amount of open space to its residents and the Playful City USA program matched the city’s ideals.

“Here in El Paso, we have always known that we are a playful city due to our wonderful year-round sunny weather and our friendly and easy-going citizens,” Rodriguez said. “We have over 200 parks, 24 recreation centers and 14 swimming pools and when these facilities are open they are used to their fullest potential.”

PDF	Read the whole article

Learn more about Playful City USA

Wondering why you should attend a Workshop Entirely on Play (WE Play!)?

Here are just a sampling of what you'll take away from the experience:

1. Practical tools and resources for building playgrounds and advocating for play
2. Kazoo-playing skills
3. Tons of helpful information to take home
4. An in-depth knowledge of the importance of play
5. Connections to others in your region who are passionate about play
6. The opportunity to help build a playground in just one day
7. Sandpails full of inspiration!

At the Washington, D.C. WE Play! event Apr. 10, many participants came for the practical how-tos regarding playground building and play advocacy, and left feeling inspired and energized.

"I came because I wanted to find out more about how to plan and make an exciting playground for kids," said Inez Edwards, who runs the youth wellness program for the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington. "I'm motivated by the passion people have already put into playgrounds and parks. It's a community effort!"

Birju Patel, a senior at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, has been working with his university to build a playground. "One thing that inspired [my team] is we did a site visit and saw kids running around in an open field, playing with sticks and throwing rocks at each other. Knowing you have the resources to change that...you know the result will be spectacular," he said. "Learning the process — the Roadmap — was really important for me as a person who's trying to organize a playground project."

Participants heard from Steve Coleman, executive director for Washington Parks & People, who shared his the story of organizing a project that has brought a Washington, D.C. park back to life. The project has involved over 40,000 volunteers so far, who have cleaned up and restored a park that was once a haven for drug dealers. The project has created new jobs and made the park into a community gathering space, which includes a youth-tended garden. The youth sell the produce they grow in a Farmer's Market in the park.

"One day the drug dealers were there, selling heroin and PCP, and the next day the kids got there before the drug dealers and were selling peas and carrots," said Coleman. "The looks on the drug dealer's faces..."

This year's WE Play! events feature not just information on building playgrounds, but also lots of great tips and discussions on how to make play a priority in people's communities. Participants can choose between a playspace builder's track and a play advocacy track.

"At the play advocacy track at the D.C. WE Play!, we had great discussions about combating childhood obesity and ensuring safe play environments for all kids, especially those in at-risk communities," said Brooke Bennett, national advocacy manager for KaBOOM!. "Participants shared best practices, discussed how to engage other citizens, and learned how the KaBOOM! tools and resources could help them be catalysts for change in their communities."

The day following the Washington, D.C. WE Play!, participants had the opportunity to participate in a playground build with So Others Might Eat (SOME) Zagami House in Southeastern Washington, D.C., home to 12 formerly homeless and extremely low income families.

You can participate in an upcoming WE Play! event, too! Dates for upcoming events are below.

Upcoming WE Play! dates & locations

Learn more about WE Play!

Don't miss out: The KaBOOM!/The Home Depot Grant applications are due Tuesday, April 15!

KaBOOM! and The Home Depot have once again partnered to offer $4500 grants to communities building playgrounds by June 1, 2008. Forty grants are available. All playgrounds must be built by June 1, 2008 and must follow the KaBOOM! Community-Build Model. Download the application form here. Applications are due April 15th.

Photos are now available from the 1,000th playground built in 1,000 days between KaBOOM! and The Home Depot. Check out all the action in our Photo Galleries and watch a video from the day!

Thanks to The Home Depot and KaBOOM!, this Thursday, Apr. 10, kids in Marietta, Ga. got a state-of-the-art, spherically-designed EVOS™ playground, which allows kids to use their imaginations to plan climbing routes, create games and build new skills!

We look forward to continuing on this incredible journey, making a difference in the lives of children, one playground at a time!

Learn more about our partnership with The Home Depot!

The Home Depot and KaBOOM! Celebrate 1,000th Playspace
$25 Million Campaign to Build or Refurbish 1000 Playspaces Reaches Milestone in April

Washington, D.C., April 9, 2008 - KaBOOM!, a national nonprofit organization whose vision is a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America, announces that The Home Depot, the world’s largest home improvement retailer, is its first partner to build or refurbish 1,000 playspaces. The Home Depot and KaBOOM! first committed to building 1,000 playspaces together in 2005.

“The Home Depot’s unprecedented participation in this initiative will enhance the physical, social and emotional well-being of children all over North America,” said Darell Hammond, CEO and Co-Founder, KaBOOM! “as we reach our 1,000th playspace build on April 10, 2008, I am truly astounded by the impact this partnership has made on communities across the nation.”

The 1,000th build will take place in Victory Park, in the City of Marietta, GA. The playground, built in partnership with the City of Marietta Parks & Recreation and the Marietta Kiwanis, will provide a safe, fun environment for children from the community and three nearby schools.

As the founding partner of KaBOOM! since 1995, The Home Depot provides financial support, materials and hundreds of volunteers for play space projects across North America.

Key facts:

• 1,000 playgrounds built or refurbished in 1,000 days
• $25 million invested by The Home Depot
• 954,435 volunteer hours donated by Home Depot associates
• 99,555 Team Depot volunteers participated
• 619,300 children served

Each playground built through this campaign was funded by a $47,200 grant by The Home Depot and a $10,000 contribution from the community partner receiving the playground. Other playspace programs included in this program include community challenge grants, field refurbishments, and skateparks. Once a community partner has been selected, the typical planning period leading up to Build Day is eight to 10 weeks. The project is led by the KaBOOM! project manager and build captains from The Home Depot and the community partner. On Build Day, approximately 150 volunteers from The Home Depot and 100 community volunteers join together to construct a new playground.

April 8, 2008 
By Dan Geringer, Philadelphia Daily News

Apr. 8--ON MOST NIGHTS, Anthony "Ant" Washington leaves his wife and children sleeping at home and goes over to his mother's house on Orianna Street near Dauphin, across from the baseball field, so he can wake up often in the wee hours, walk the field and make sure no one is messing with the miracle.

Responding to a Daily News report on how 10 years of city neglect ruined a youth baseball field at 4th and Dauphin streets, urban and suburban angels rushed to the rescue last week and saved the summer for 300 neighborhood children.

"This is amazing," said Washington, longtime Nelson Playground rec leader, standing on the resurrected field in the historically underserved Fairhill section of North Philadelphia, which has always been his home. "This looks like a completely different ball field."

It is. Only two weeks ago, the field was a dangerous mess.

A deeply rutted footpath ran across the outfield from Leithgow Street to Orianna Street, carved into the turf by residents who removed bolts in the chain-link security gates and used the field as a short cut -- walking, biking, pushing strollers.

The danger of a child breaking a leg while chasing a fly ball across that trenchlike footpath made the field unplayable.

Because the infield was built over the foundations of abandoned rowhouses on a demolished block of 4th Street, sinkholes sometimes develop, threatening to swallow base paths and the pitcher's mound.

Drug users discarded dozens of used syringes around the benches where the boys and girls, ages 4 to 14, will sit while waiting to bat.

All that changed dramatically after the Daily News story.

...

Read the full story.

Discuss playspace renovation and play advocacy in our Forums.

Thanks to The Home Depot and KaBOOM!, this Thursday, Apr. 10, kids in Marietta, Ga. will be getting a state-of-the-art, spherically-designed EVOS™ playground, which allows kids to use their imaginations to plan climbing routes, create games and build new skills!

This playground is the 1,000th playspace build in 1,000 days as part of a partnership between The Home Depot and KaBOOM!.

We'll be posting photos of the build on kaboom.org throughout the day, so be sure to stop by Thursday to watch a state-of-the-art playground come together in just eight hours!

Needless to say, building 1,000 playspaces in 1,000 days is an amazing accomplishment. How do you add up the success of 1,000 builds in 1,000 days? Easy!

The Home Depot's $25 million commitment to the project
+

59,515 community volunteers
+
59,555 Team Depot Associates

+
954,435 volunteer hours 
= 1,000 new and refurbished playspaces that will serve over 600,000 children across the United States!

We look forward to continuing on this incredible journey, making a difference in the lives of children, one playground at a time!

Learn more about our partnership with The Home Depot!

Jamison to help build playground in Shreveport, promote importance of play among children

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  As part of his ongoing efforts to provide “A Better Tomorrow” for children, NBA All-Star Antawn Jamison and national non-profit KaBOOM! announced a new partnership to encourage and promote play among children across the country.

KaBOOM!, an organization that empowers communities to build playgrounds, will team with Jamison to sponsor a playground build in his hometown of Shreveport in September of 2008 with the potential to build playgrounds in other areas in the future. Additionally, Jamison will serve as a KaBOOM! All-Star Playmaker – an extension of the Playmaker Network consisting of national leaders and celebrities who take action for play on behalf of KaBOOM!, while promoting the importance of play.

Jamison, whose “A Better Tomorrow” campaign has helped countless individuals across the c