If you haven't heard about Kaboom!, they are one of the largest nonprofit organizations in the United States to dedicated to saving play for children.
A little background
In August 1995, shortly after moving to Washington, D.C., 24-year-old Darell Hammond read a story in the Washington Post about two local children who suffocated while playing in an abandoned car because they didn’t have anywhere else to play. Darell realized this tragedy could have been prevented. The passion was born, the idea was conceived.
A formative childhood
Darell grew up with seven brothers and sisters at the Mooseheart Child City & School, a group home outside of Chicago. The Mooseheart community instilled in Darell the power of volunteerism and the importance of helping those less fortunate get a head start.
Planting the seeds
After attending community college and Ripon College, he helped lead the start-up of City Year Chicago. Under Darell’s leadership, 600 City Year volunteers built two playgrounds and more than 500 community volunteers joined the incredible day of service. Watching the volunteers take on their challenges in a fun and productive way, Darell realized that with organization, leadership, and minimal training, communities could make huge improvements to their neighborhoods and their lives.
It starts with a playground
Although not yet under the KaBOOM! name, the first KaBOOM! community playground build took place in October 1995, at Livingston Manor in southeast Washington, DC. KaBOOM! was officially founded in 1996 in the back of a deli in DC’s Adams Morgan neighborhood. Since then, KaBOOM! has raised more than $200 million, rallied a million volunteers, led the hands-on construction of over 2,000 playgrounds, and inspired a movement for the child’s right to play.
Contest:
This month they are asking parents to send in photos of the playgrounds they love for a chance to win great outdoor toys.
To enter for a chance to win visit Kaboom's Facebook page and upload your picture.
Deadline: February 19, 2013 - the last day for contest entries
Information for this post came from http://kaboom.org/about_kaboom/our_story
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