FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                        Contact: Mory Fontanez, KaBOOM! 202.464.6171 mfontanez@kaboom.org

 

KaBOOM! Challenge Grant to Raise $1 Million for Gulf Coast Children; Deadline September 25, 2006

 

Washington, D.C., September 20, 2006 – KaBOOM! received a $500,000 donation from an anonymous Mississippi donor to help fund Operation Playground, an initiative to rebuild 100 playgrounds in the Gulf Coast by the end of 2007.  There is just one catch, KaBOOM! must match the grant by September 25, 2006.  If the goal is reached, the $500,000 donation would be the largest ever received by the organization from an individual supporter.

 

To date, KaBOOM! has raised just over $460,000, with only $40,000 needed to meet the challenge before September 25.  To meet this goal, KaBOOM! has been accepting donations from hundreds of individual donors around the country.   Donors have included a group of first graders from Brownie Troop 2475 in Sudbury, Massachusetts who raised $111 through their “Chores for Charities” program, a 5-year old girl and her mother from Gig Harbor, Washington, who generated $112 by setting up a lemonade stand in their community and a Rockville, Maryland 13-year old who raised $15,000 through his Bar Mitzvah.

 

“We are so close to matching this generous donation,” said Darell Hammond, CEO and Co-Founder of KaBOOM!  “$1 million will help give thousands of Gulf Coast children a great place to play, it is a challenge we are committed to meet,” he said.

 

Operation Playground is a two-year initiative by KaBOOM! to address the vital need for safe places to play throughout the Gulf Coast in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  Since the inception of Operation Playground, in December 2005, KaBOOM! has worked with partners including The Home Depot, Motorola, Foresters, AmeriCares, Playworld Systems, The National Basketball Association, Mississippi Orthopaedic Society and 4th Generation Fund to rally thousands of volunteers to build playgrounds in Bay St. Louis, Biloxi, Pass Christian, Jackson, Moss Point, New Orleans and many more Gulf Coast cities.  

 

To match this grant, KaBOOM! is accepting donations through mail and their website, www.kaboom.org.  In order to make the deadline, all donations must be postmarked by September 25, 2006.

 

About KaBOOM!
Celebrating its 10-year anniversary in 2006, KaBOOM! is a national nonprofit organization that envisions a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America.  Over the past decade, KaBOOM! has used its innovative community-build model to bring together business and community interests to construct nearly 1,000 new playgrounds, skateparks, sports fields and ice rinks across North America.  KaBOOM! also offers a variety of resources, including a Web portal and online community, regional and national trainings, grants and publications for communities that wish to plan a new playspace on their own.  Headquartered in Washington, D.C., KaBOOM! also has offices in Chicago, Atlanta and San Mateo, Calif.   For more information, visit www.kaboom.org or call (202) 659-0215.

 

 

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