VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA, DISNEY AND KaBOOM! SAVING PLAY BY BUILDING A NEW PLAYGROUND AND LEARNING GARDEN IN JUST ONE DAY FOR SACRAMENTO CHILDREN
WHAT: More than 200 volunteers from Volunteers of America will join Disney VoluntEARS, organizers from KaBOOM! and residents of the Sacramento community on Friday, March 25 to build a new playground and learning garden at the Volunteers of America Family Shelter. The new playground’s design is based on drawings created by children who participated in a Design Day event in January.
WHY: Disney is championing the well-being of kids and families, contributing over $1 million in 2011 to help KaBOOM! build playgrounds and learning gardens in 12 communities across the U.S. These playgrounds are part of Disney Magic of Healthy Living, a multimedia initiative designed to partner with parents in their quest to raise healthy, happy kids by reinforcing their work and inspiring kids to make healthy lifestyles fun.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, play is important to healthy brain development and allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, dexterity, and physical, cognitive, and emotional strength. Today’s kids spend less time playing outside than any previous generation in part because only 1-in-5 children live within walking distance of a park or playground. This Play Deficit is having profound consequences for kids physically as well as mentally and socially. Children need a place to play every day in order to be active and healthy. KaBOOM! is a national non-profit organization dedicated to saving play. For 15 years, KaBOOM! has been fighting the Play Deficit and saving play by ensuring there is a great place to play within walking distance of every child.
The new playground and learning garden will provide the nearly 100 at-risk children served by the Volunteers of America Family Shelter with a safe place to play. Currently, the children do not have a playground to enjoy and there is not a playground within walking distance of the shelter. The new playground will also include a vegetable garden so children can learn first-hand about growing and eating nutritious food.
WHEN: Friday, March 25
8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Kick off ceremony and volunteer deployment
11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Best viewing of playground construction
1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Final construction phase and adjustments
2:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Ribbon-cutting ceremony to dedicate new play area
(Note: all times approximate)
WHERE: Volunteers of America Family Shelter
470 Bannon Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
WHO: Ninth District State Assemblyman Rodger Dickinson;
Hundreds of volunteers from the community
VISUALS: Before and after shots of the site
Volunteers assembling brightly colored playground equipment
Volunteers moving 45,360 square feet of safety surfacing by hand
Ribbon-cutting ceremony to dedicate the playground
On-site entertainment provided by Radio Disney
Volunteers of America
Established in 1911, Volunteers of America Greater Sacramento & Northern Nevada is one of the largest providers of social services in the region, operating programs dedicated to ending homelessness, supporting the most vulnerable populations, and transforming communities for the better. Each night, Volunteers of America Greater Sacramento & Northern Nevada provides housing for as many as 1,800 men, women and children in its service communities. Learn more online atwww.volunteersofamerica-sac.org.
Disney
Our Corporate Citizenship mission focuses on kids and families, environment and conservation, compassion and creativity. Our signature programs, including Disney Magic of Healthy Living and Disney Friends for Change, exemplify our core principles:Act, Champion, Inspire. We seek to act and create in an ethical manner; we champion the happiness and well-being of kids and families; we aim to inspire kids, parents, employees and communities to make a lasting, positive change in the world. For more information, please visit http://disney.go.com/crreport.
Disney Magic of Healthy Living
Through the Magic of Healthy Living initiative, Disney is partnering with parents in their quest to raise healthy, happy kids. With entertaining content, useful tools, and engaging experiences, the program reinforces the work of parents and inspires kids by making healthy lifestyles simple and fun. Magic of Healthy Living builds on the landmark nutritional guidelines Disney introduced in 2006. For more information, please visit: www.disney.com/healthfun.
Disney VoluntEARS
The Disney VoluntEARS program provides opportunities for employees to give their time and talents back to their local communities. Since 1983, Disney VoluntEARS have contributed more than 569,000 hours of service in over 42 countries. VoluntEARS projects include working with and helping children, collecting and delivering toys, preserving the environment and supporting arts and culture. For more information, please visit http://disney.go.com/crreport.
KaBOOM!
KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated to saving play. Because all children deserve to be active and healthy, KaBOOM! works to ensure that every child in America has a great place to play within walking distance. Since 1996, KaBOOM! has used its innovative community-build model to bring together businesses and communities to construct more than 1,900 new places to play across North America. KaBOOM! also fights the Play Deficit with online tools that empower communities to join the movement to save play. The KaBOOM! website, kaboom.org, allows communities to self-organize and take action to support play on a both a local and national level.
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CONTACT: Christie Holderegger, Volunteers of America, 916-213-4133, christie@voa-sac.org
Diane Dray, Disney, 818-567-5384, Diane.Dray@Disney.com
Mike Vietti, KaBOOM!, 785-320-2137, mvietti@kaboom.org