New Playground Debuts Today in Anaheim Designed by Kids and Built by Volunteers from Disney, City of Anaheim, Anaheim Family YMCA and KaBOOM!

New playground is fifth built by Disney & KaBOOM! in Orange County since 2011, giving nearly 7,000 children a great place to play and be active

ANAHEIM, Calif. (Oct. 21, 2013) – As of today, more than 350 children have a great new place to play inspiring them to lead active, healthy lifestyles.  Disney and KaBOOM!, with the help of more than 200 volunteers including local community residents, city of Anaheim and Anaheim Family YMCA volunteers and Disney VoluntEARS, joined together to deliver a new playground at Modjeska Park in Anaheim (1331 South Nutwood Street).

“On behalf of Anaheim’s children and their families, thank you to KaBOOM!, Disney and the Y for once again working with the city to provide children safe and fun places to play,” said Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait. “These organizations are incredible community partners who share our vision of Anaheim as a city of kindness where families can thrive and children are active by enjoying outdoor activities. It is a joy to see the children literally run to the new equipment with their siblings and friends. I know they will enjoy the park for years to come.”

Planning for the playground began in August 2013 at Design Day, a unique element of this program in which local children and community leaders met with organizers from Disney and KaBOOM! to design their dream playground. The children's drawings were then used to create the final playground design. Since 1996, KaBOOM! has used its innovative community-build model to bring together community interests and businesses to construct more than 2,300 new places to play across North America. 

“Every child deserves to have a great place to play and we’re thrilled to continue our work with Disney in striving toward that goal,” said Darell Hammond, KaBOOM! founder & CEO. “Thanks to the efforts of Disney, KaBOOM!, the city of Anaheim and the Anaheim Family YMCA, we moved one step closer to the KaBOOM! vision of a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America.”

The new playground is one of more than 40 made possible with support from Disney to inspire kids to lead healthier lifestyles. By the end of 2013, Disney’s support will bring the magic of play to more than 50,000 kids and families nationwide.  Since 2011, in Orange County alone, five builds have provided playgrounds for nearly 7,000 children.

“The Disneyland Resort was created as a place where children and parents could share magical experiences and spend meaningful time together,” said Michael Colglazier, president of the Disneyland Resort. “Our work at today’s KaBOOM! playground build embodies that same spirit, and we are proud to be a part of an effort that focuses on the health and well-being of families.”

“This collaborative project embodies the Y’s focus on youth development, healthy living and social responsibility,” said Paul Andresen, president and CEO of the Anaheim Family YMCA. “This is the fourth playground we've built since 2011, and it shows how the power of collaboration can create lasting opportunities for youth and families to be healthy and active together.”