Hundreds of Volunteers Join Forces to Build a New Playground in One Day
May 20, 2009 · Published By Admin
WHAT: Two new state-of-the-art, 5,000 square foot playgrounds will be built by more than 900 volunteers from The Home Depot Foundation, The City of Mesa, The Foundation for Mesa Parks and Recreation, The West Mesa Community Development Corporation and organizers from the nonprofit organization KaBOOM! Volunteers from Quikrete, Akzo Noble Paints, Springs Window Fashions and JD Irving will also join the effort.
The new playgrounds at The Park of the Canals and Beverly Park
will provide a safe, fun environment for children in the community. (See project details below.)
WHEN/ The Park of the Canals: Thursday, May 28
WHERE Beverly Park: Wednesday, June 3
7:30 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. Project Kick-Off
9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Best viewing of playground construction
1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. “Board-Cutting” closing ceremony
(Note: All times approximate)
PROJECT DETAILS:
. Both playgrounds are funded through a $230,680 ($107,230 for May
28 and $123,450 for June 3) grant from The Home Depot Foundation along with a $10,000 contribution from both the Foundation for Mesa Parks and Recreation (including donations from SRP and Mesa Rotary Clubs) and the West Mesa Community Development Corporation.
. The Home Depot works with KaBOOM! to provide financial support,
materials and numerous volunteers for play space projects across North America as part of its ongoing commitment to give back to the communities its stores serve.
. The Home Depot is the official Sustainability Partner of KaBOOM!.
Both organizations work together to make sure each playground project is as environmentally friendly as possible.
. The Park of the Canals: This historic park serves thousands in
the community, but the old equipment at this park was removed almost five years ago leaving the site with only two older swing sets. There are no other public play spaces within walking distance of this community. A new playground at the Park of the Canals would provide a reason for local families to come back together at their neighborhood park.
. Beverly Park: This 2.8 acre piece of undeveloped land known as
Beverly Park was purchased by the City of Mesa in 2003. In 2005, the City was forced to make large spending cutbacks, including funding for new parks. They also had to build a gate around Beverly Park, completely closing it to the public. The City of Mesa identified Beverly Park as this community’s only chance for a public park.
CONTACT: Kevin Christopher, City of Mesa, (480) 644-4699,
kevin.christopher@mesaaz.gov
Paula Drake, The Home Depot, (941) 488-1289,
paula_drake@homedepot.com Mike McCaffrey, The Foundation for Mesa Parks & Recreation, (480) 291-9112 McCaffrey@MesaParksFoundation.org
Jo Ellen McNamara, WMCDC (480) 964-3751, jo.mcnamara.wmcdc@gmail.com
About The Home Depot Foundation
The Home Depot Foundation was created in 2002 to further the community building goals of The Home Depot. The Home Depot Foundation is dedicated to building affordable homes for working families that are healthy to live in and affordable to own. To make homes healthy and affordable, the Foundation encourages developers to incorporate responsible design and use durable and quality materials to ensure that homes are more energy and water efficient, have good indoor air quality, and provide a safe and healthy space to live.
Since its formation, The Home Depot Foundation has granted $70 million to nonprofit organizations and supported the development of more than 50,000 affordable, healthy homes. For more information, visit www.homedepotfoundation.org.
About the Foundation for Mesa Parks and Recreation The Foundation for Mesa Parks and Recreation was founded in 1991 as a 501
(c)(3) non-profit organization. Its goal is to provide a method for private funding of quality of life programs and facilities for Mesa. The Foundation is a group of community members who are passionate about parks and who believe that parks and recreation are of vital importance to our community. With decreasing municipal funds, we recognize that parks are in need of support for programs and facility developments. The Foundation has supported such worthwhile projects as: refurbishment of the Falcon Field Park, funding for the Park of the Canals Master Plan, youth baseball programs, pool openings, and subsidized swim lessons for low income children. The Foundation sponsors new programs and funds facility improvements, disseminates information on existing cultural and recreational
opportunities, and provides the opportunity for businesses, organizations, and individuals to contribute to the quality of life in Mesa. Additional information is available at www.mesaparksfoundation.org.
West Mesa Community Development Corporation (WMCDC)
Founded in 2003, the West Mesa Community Development Corporation
(WMCDC) is a direct product of grassroots activism in communities of Mesa’s Westside. In the early part of 2000 and 2001, rising crime rates, disinvestment of local business and an increased transient population inspired members of the Mesa Grande Neighborhood Alliance (MGNA), an unaffiliated and highly organized neighborhood group, to educate themselves about the basics of community development. Soon after this, the advantage of assembling an incorporated organization, particularly a Community Development Corporation (CDC) – a nationally recognized model for neighborhood organizations, became apparent. So, MGNA created WMCDC to effectively address the concerns of their community. Today, WMCDC serves the Mesa Grande neighborhoods and approximately 52 other sub-areas by advocating for the economic and civic revitalization of their community. WMCDC programs include community economic development initiatives, community safety programs, community planning initiatives and projects and neighborhood revitalization. You can find out more about WMCDC at www.wmcdc.org
KaBOOM!
KaBOOM! is a national nonprofit organization that envisions a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America. Celebrating fourteen years of service in 2009, KaBOOM! rallies communities to achieve better public policy, funding and public awareness for increased play opportunities nationwide; provide resources, including trainings, challenge grants, and publications for communities that wish to plan a new playspace on their own;
and bring together children, business and community interests for a select number of community playspace builds each year. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., KaBOOM! also has offices in Chicago, and San Mateo, California. For more information, visit www.kaboom.org.
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