Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS) and national non-profit KaBOOM! awarded Heritage Community Initiatives a $15,000 Let’s Play Grant to use toward the purchase of an Imagination Playground in a Box™ play system as announced on September 19, 2012.
The grant is part of Let’s Play, a community partnership led by Dr Pepper Snapple Group to get kids and families active nationwide. In 2011, as part of Let’s Play, Dr Pepper Snapple Group made a $15 million, three-year commitment to KaBOOM!, the national non-profit saving play by ensuring there is a great place to play within walking distance of every child. Together through Let’s Play, Dr Pepper Snapple Group and KaBOOM! will build or fix up 2,000 playgrounds by the end of 2013, benefiting an estimated five million children across North America.
The grant is part of Let’s Play, a community partnership led by Dr Pepper Snapple Group to get kids and families active nationwide. In 2011, as part of Let’s Play, Dr Pepper Snapple Group made a $15 million, three-year commitment to KaBOOM!, the national non-profit saving play by ensuring there is a great place to play within walking distance of every child. Together through Let’s Play, Dr Pepper Snapple Group and KaBOOM! will build or fix up 2,000 playgrounds by the end of 2013, benefiting an estimated five million children across North America.
Unstructured, child-directed play is proven to help kids develop physically, socially and cognitively, yet today’s kids have less time and fewer opportunities to play than any previous generation. Imagination Playground in a Box™ is a breakthrough playspace concept designed by architect David Rockwell to encourage child-directed, unstructured free play. With reconfigurable loose parts, Imagination Playground in a Box™ allows children to constantly change their environment and design their own course of play. Giant foam blocks, mats, wagons, fabric and crates overflow with creative potential for children to play, dream, build and explore endless possibilities.
The Imagination Playground will be located at the Heritage Out of School Time (HOST) program during the school year. HOST provides out of school time care to students in grades K-8. While attending HOST before and after school, on holiday breaks, and in-service days, children are provided with meals, guided with their homework, engaged in age appropriate enrichment activities and given the opportunity to be successful and achieve at their own progress.
“There are so many challenges in the educational system today that threaten our children’s ability to enjoy and grow through outdoor activities. Some schools are reducing sports, others cutting back on physical education, and many have limited or discouraged any form of imaginative play” says Carleen Petronio, a parent of four students enrolled at the HOST Program. “It is a relief to know that Heritage continues to seek opportunities to develop creative, interactive, imaginative play.”
During the summer, the Imagination Playground™ will move to the site of the Braddock KaBOOM! Playground and will be available to all children and families in the neighborhood. The Imagination Playground™ will be the most recent addition to a long list of side projects that have been constructed at the KaBOOM! playground site by volunteers to attract families and build community. Previous projects have included the construction of benches, shade structures, murals, swings and a sprinkler system.
Heritage must raise a match of $6,000 to receive the Imagination Playground™, and is seeking corporate or individual contributions to help bring this resource to the children of Braddock. To make a gift, please contact the Heritage Development Department at 412-351-0535 or donate online at www.heritageserves.org.
Through Let’s Play grants and projects in 2011, Dr Pepper Snapple Group and KaBOOM! built or improved 528 playgrounds, benefitting an estimated 1.3 million children during the lifetime of the playgrounds. People are encouraged to visit Let’s Play at www.LetsPlay.com to join the conversation and learn how to apply for the various available grants to make their communities more active and playful.
About Heritage Community Initiatives
Heritage Community Initiatives is a community based non-profit, based in Braddock , PA, providing support for families that live in Braddock and the Mon Valley region of Allegheny County through services in education, transportation and community outreach. We seek to strengthen individuals and families in order to build healthier communities and provide resources for sustainability. For more information, visit www.heritageserves.org or Facebook.com/HeritageCommunityInitiatives
About Let’s Play
Let’s Play is a community partnership led by Dr Pepper Snapple Group (NYSE: DPS) to get kids and families active nationwide. The first Let’s Play initiative is a $15 million, three-year commitment to KaBOOM!, the national non-profit that’s saving play. Together, through Let’s Play, DPS and KaBOOM! will build or fix up 2,000 playgrounds by the end of 2013, benefiting an estimated five million children across North America. For more information, visit LetsPlay.com or Facebook.com/LetsPlay.
About Dr Pepper Snapple Group
Dr Pepper Snapple Group (NYSE: DPS) is a leading producer of flavored beverages in North America and the Caribbean. Our success is fueled by more than 50 brands that are synonymous with refreshment, fun and flavor. We have 6 of the top 10 non-cola soft drinks, and 11 of our 14 leading brands are No. 1 in their flavor categories. In addition to our flagship Dr Pepper and Snapple brands, our portfolio includes 7UP, A&W, Canada Dry, Clamato, Crush, Hawaiian Punch, Mott's, Mr & Mrs T mixers, Peñafiel, Rose's, Schweppes, Squirt and Sunkist soda. To learn more about our iconic brands and Plano, Texas-based company, please visit DrPepperSnapple.com. For our latest news and updates, follow us at Facebook.com/DrPepperSnapple or Twitter.com/DrPepperSnapple.
About KaBOOM!
KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated to saving play. Children today spend less time playing outdoors than any previous generation, a fact that is having disastrous consequences on their health, achievement levels, and overall well-being. To fight this play deficit, social entrepreneur Darell Hammond founded non-profit KaBOOM! in 1996 in Washington, D.C. with a vision of creating a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America. Since then, KaBOOM! has mapped over 89,000 places to play, built more than 2,000 playgrounds, and successfully advocated for play policies in hundreds of cities across the country. KaBOOM! also provides communities with online tools to self-organize and take action to support play on both a local and national level. Hammond chronicles the founding of the organization and the importance of the cause of play in his The New York Times Best Seller KaBOOM!: How One Man Built a Movement to Save Play. The book details how businesses and communities can work together to save play for children across the country. All author proceeds support KaBOOM!. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., KaBOOM! also has offices in Chicago and San Mateo, Calif. For more information, visit www.kaboom.org.
Link: http://www.imaginationplayground.com/
The Imagination Playground will be located at the Heritage Out of School Time (HOST) program during the school year. HOST provides out of school time care to students in grades K-8. While attending HOST before and after school, on holiday breaks, and in-service days, children are provided with meals, guided with their homework, engaged in age appropriate enrichment activities and given the opportunity to be successful and achieve at their own progress.
“There are so many challenges in the educational system today that threaten our children’s ability to enjoy and grow through outdoor activities. Some schools are reducing sports, others cutting back on physical education, and many have limited or discouraged any form of imaginative play” says Carleen Petronio, a parent of four students enrolled at the HOST Program. “It is a relief to know that Heritage continues to seek opportunities to develop creative, interactive, imaginative play.”
During the summer, the Imagination Playground™ will move to the site of the Braddock KaBOOM! Playground and will be available to all children and families in the neighborhood. The Imagination Playground™ will be the most recent addition to a long list of side projects that have been constructed at the KaBOOM! playground site by volunteers to attract families and build community. Previous projects have included the construction of benches, shade structures, murals, swings and a sprinkler system.
Heritage must raise a match of $6,000 to receive the Imagination Playground™, and is seeking corporate or individual contributions to help bring this resource to the children of Braddock. To make a gift, please contact the Heritage Development Department at 412-351-0535 or donate online at www.heritageserves.org.
Through Let’s Play grants and projects in 2011, Dr Pepper Snapple Group and KaBOOM! built or improved 528 playgrounds, benefitting an estimated 1.3 million children during the lifetime of the playgrounds. People are encouraged to visit Let’s Play at www.LetsPlay.com to join the conversation and learn how to apply for the various available grants to make their communities more active and playful.
About Heritage Community Initiatives
Heritage Community Initiatives is a community based non-profit, based in Braddock , PA, providing support for families that live in Braddock and the Mon Valley region of Allegheny County through services in education, transportation and community outreach. We seek to strengthen individuals and families in order to build healthier communities and provide resources for sustainability. For more information, visit www.heritageserves.org or Facebook.com/HeritageCommunityInitiatives
About Let’s Play
Let’s Play is a community partnership led by Dr Pepper Snapple Group (NYSE: DPS) to get kids and families active nationwide. The first Let’s Play initiative is a $15 million, three-year commitment to KaBOOM!, the national non-profit that’s saving play. Together, through Let’s Play, DPS and KaBOOM! will build or fix up 2,000 playgrounds by the end of 2013, benefiting an estimated five million children across North America. For more information, visit LetsPlay.com or Facebook.com/LetsPlay.
About Dr Pepper Snapple Group
Dr Pepper Snapple Group (NYSE: DPS) is a leading producer of flavored beverages in North America and the Caribbean. Our success is fueled by more than 50 brands that are synonymous with refreshment, fun and flavor. We have 6 of the top 10 non-cola soft drinks, and 11 of our 14 leading brands are No. 1 in their flavor categories. In addition to our flagship Dr Pepper and Snapple brands, our portfolio includes 7UP, A&W, Canada Dry, Clamato, Crush, Hawaiian Punch, Mott's, Mr & Mrs T mixers, Peñafiel, Rose's, Schweppes, Squirt and Sunkist soda. To learn more about our iconic brands and Plano, Texas-based company, please visit DrPepperSnapple.com. For our latest news and updates, follow us at Facebook.com/DrPepperSnapple or Twitter.com/DrPepperSnapple.
About KaBOOM!
KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated to saving play. Children today spend less time playing outdoors than any previous generation, a fact that is having disastrous consequences on their health, achievement levels, and overall well-being. To fight this play deficit, social entrepreneur Darell Hammond founded non-profit KaBOOM! in 1996 in Washington, D.C. with a vision of creating a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America. Since then, KaBOOM! has mapped over 89,000 places to play, built more than 2,000 playgrounds, and successfully advocated for play policies in hundreds of cities across the country. KaBOOM! also provides communities with online tools to self-organize and take action to support play on both a local and national level. Hammond chronicles the founding of the organization and the importance of the cause of play in his The New York Times Best Seller KaBOOM!: How One Man Built a Movement to Save Play. The book details how businesses and communities can work together to save play for children across the country. All author proceeds support KaBOOM!. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., KaBOOM! also has offices in Chicago and San Mateo, Calif. For more information, visit www.kaboom.org.
Link: http://www.imaginationplayground.com/
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