KaBOOM!
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| KaBOOM! | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Formation | 1996 |
| Type | Non-profit organization |
| Purpose/focus | Charitable |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
| Chief Executive Officer | Darell Hammond |
| Website | http://kaboom.org/ |
KaBOOM! is an American non-profit organization that helps communities build playgrounds for children.
Contents |
[edit] Founding
Darell Hammond and Dawn Hutchison founded KaBOOM! in 1996.[1] They were inspired to start KaBOOM! after reading a story in The Washington Post about two local children who suffocated while playing in an abandoned car because they had nowhere else to play.[2] Hammond had previously helped build several playgrounds for other charitable organizations. Hammond was also partially inspired by his upbringing in the Mooseheart Child City & School, a group home in Mooseheart, Illinois.[3] Hammond previously studied under Dr. John Kretzmann, director of the Assets Based Community Development Institute in the Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. The institute, which focuses on mobilizing struggling communities using resources already at hand, served as a community-build model for KaBOOM! Hammond was also influenced by his participation in the Columbus, Ohio, and Chicago engagements of City Year, an AmeriCorps program seeking to build democracy through citizen service and social entrepreneurship.[4]
Hammond and his friend Dawn Hutchison built their first KaBOOM! community playground in October 1995. The two were contacted by Youth Service America to plan a day of service. Although not yet operating under the KaBOOM! name, they chose to build a playground at Livingston Manor in southeast Washington, D.C. The playground build lasted five days and involved more than 500 volunteers. Inspired by the build, Hammond and Hutchitson incorporated KaBOOM! in April 1996.[4] Kimberly-Clark, the corporation behind paper-based consumer products like Kleenex, chose to serve as KaBOOM!'s first funding partner as a way of celebrating their 125th anniversary. Kimberly-Clark partnered with KaBOOM! to build 38 playgrounds in 1997.[5] Hutchison left KaBOOM! that year.[2]
[edit] Growth
In 1997, KaBOOM! launched the "Let Us Play" campaign, which sought to build, renovate or provide assistance to develop 1,000 community-built playgrounds by the year 2000.[6] Vice President Al Gore and General Colin Powell helped launch the program. By 1999, KaBOOM! had 50 funding partners and was building more than 50 playgrounds a year.[7]
In 2004, KaBOOM! started offering toolkits, training packages and other forms technical assistance to communities seeking to build playgrounds without the charity's direct oversight. The training sessions, called "University of Play", was seen as an alternative to opening chapters and affiliates while still expanding the KaBOOM! mission of building playgrounds.[8] Darell Hammond also made the charity's project handbooks, best practices and guidelines available for free on the organization's website.[2] In 2007, the charity formed the "KaBOOM! National Campaign for Play", a program focused specifically on rallying individuals to the KaBOOM! cause.[4] Participants in KaBOOM! projects are known as "BOOMers".[2]
In 2005, KaBOOM! and The Home Depot formed a $25 million partnership to build or refurbish 1,000 playgrounds in 1,000 days. The two groups also build sports fields and ice rink projects, as well as playgrounds.[2] In December 2005, KaBOOM! launched Operation Playground, an initiative to build 100 playgrounds in the Gulf Coast areas affected by Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. In January 2006, First Lady Laura Bush attended Operation Playground's first playground build at the Hancock North Central Elementary School in Kiln, Mississippi.[9]
Pierre Omidyar, founder and chairman of the Internet auction company eBay, contributed $5 million to KaBOOM! for the establishment of its website and to support the organization's "RALLY" effort, which advocates the importance and health benefits of play to legislators and policy experts. In addition to Home Depot, Kimberly-Clark and American Eagle Outfitters, KaBOOM! has worked in collaboration with such corporations as Target, Fannie Mae and Ben & Jerry's, which created an ice cream flavor "KaBerry KaBOOM" to benefit the organization.[2]
KaBOOM! was featured prominently an episode of the NBC comedy series Parks and Recreation which aired October 22, 2009. The episode, called "Kaboom", included a subplot in which protagonist Leslie Knope (played by Amy Poehler) becomes so inspired by the energy of a KaBOOM! playground build that she takes proactive steps to build a playground in her own home town. The episode was part of a campaign in which more than 60 television shows on multiple networks spotlighted real-life charities in an effort to encourage volunteerism.[10]
[edit] ESKAL8
In 2003, KaBOOM! expanded its operations to include the construction of skateboard, inline skating and BMX biking locations as well as playgrounds. The skatepark program was named ESKAL8. The American Eagle Outfitters Foundation donated $250,000 to the program to build 15 skateparks over the next five years.[11] It built its first park in Norwich, New York, in April 2003. Other skateparks have been built in San Antonio, Atlanta and The Bronx.[4]
[edit] Methods
KaBOOM! organizers build a playground set during a single day. The process begins about six months before the actual construction, when KaBOOM! seeks a funding partner, searches for an appropriate site and considers the economic needs of the neighborhood. About 10 weeks before the playground build, project managers visit the community and speak to children about what types and colors of playground equipment they prefer. Three different designs are drafted and the community chooses the final one. A typical playground ranges from between $70,000 and $125,000. KaBOOM! requires its local communities to raise about 10% of the cost, which Darell Hammond described as "a way of engaging the community to solve its own challenges".[2]
The KaBOOM! management policy includes an emphasis on energy and playfulness. The Washington, D.C. KaBOOM! headquarters is painted with a cartoonish orange and bright purple motif, and the building's waiting room included a tire swing and slide, but no chairs. However, the organization also includes a dress code and follows a strict process for designing and building playgrounds. Chrysler chairman Robert Nardelli, who previously worked with KaBOOM!, called the charity "one of the best-run nonprofits".[2]
[edit] References
- ^ "Nonprofit may help create a new play area". Poughkeepsie Journal (Poughkeepsie, New York).
- ^ a b c d e f g h Reingold, Jennifer (2008-01-02). "Building playgrounds is serious business". CNNMoney.com. http://money.cnn.com/2007/12/20/magazines/fortune/reingold_kaboom.fortune/?fb_page_id=5720973755&. Retrieved 2009-10-29.
- ^ "Doing their best leads to recognition - Two local activists win awards, N.Y. dinner". The Washington Times (Washington, D.C.). 1999-03-25.
- ^ a b c d "Our Story". KaBOOM! (Official site). http://kaboom.org/about_kaboom/our_story. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
- ^ Schoch, Deborah (1997-10-05). "New Place for Kids to Park It; Cooperative Effort Brings Playground to a Grateful Fullerton Neighborhood". Los Angeles Times: p. B3.
- ^ "A fun day's work". Maywood Herald. 2000-08-16.
- ^ "Rundown, dangerous playground transformed". The Washington Times. 1997-04-28.
- ^ "Cities can learn to build playgrounds, Kaboom! Offers grants for training". The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Mississippi): p. A8. 2006-12-31.
- ^ "Favre and First Lady/Playground dedication brings them to school". The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Mississippi): p. A1. 2006-01-27.
- ^ Block, Alex Ben (2009-10-18). "Networks give for volunteerism". The Hollywood Reporter. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i41da967fff242c95af8b107d0a8c8362. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
- ^ Murphy, Caryle (2003-08-07). "Park to Let Shakeboarders, Bikers Fly". The Washington Post (Washington, D.C.): p. T03.
