Dr Pepper Snapple Group, KaBOOM! and the City of Los Angeles Mayor's Office Announce Let's Play Everywhere LA Grantees to Create Unique Play Opportunities in Everyday Spaces
The ten selected grantees to receive $200,000 in total funding in LA County
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Let's Play (an initiative by Dr Pepper Snapple Group), KaBOOM! and the City of Los Angeles Mayor's Office announced the winners of Let's Play Everywhere LA, a competition that awarded 10 grants totaling $200,000 to fund creative ideas that will transform everyday spaces into fun, safe places to play.
Several projects involve painting playful games and activities on the sidewalks of surrounding neighborhood schools and libraries, while others offer kid-friendly, interactive installations complete with fitness equipment and mobile gardens. One bus stop will feature permanent musical stations, while a historic neighborhood will become home to a 9-hole miniature golf course. These projects will provide stimulating experiences for more than 11,000 kids to play, learn, grow and just be kids across various neighborhoods in Los Angeles County, including Little Tokyo, Watts and Boyle Heights.
"All children deserve safe, fun places to play where they can be inspired to dream," said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. "With the support of Let's Play Everywhere LA, the winners of this grant will use the power of creativity to awaken young Angelenos' imaginations and promote healthy activity in our neighborhoods."
Let's Play Everywhere LA is the first city-wide initiative to award out-of-the-box solutions to make play a way of life in everyday and unexpected places – on sidewalks, in vacant lots, at bus stops, in open streets and beyond – especially in communities where families struggle to make ends meet.
"Let's Play Everywhere LA will make play the easy choice for kids and families in their communities," said James Siegal, CEO of KaBOOM!. "The winning projects offer more opportunities for families to ensure kids can get the play they need to thrive. With the support from Dr Pepper Snapple and the City of Los Angeles Mayor's Office, more kids across Los Angeles County will get the childhood they deserve through great, safe places to play."
The projects are making play more accessible for the kids of Los Angeles. Play is critical to the physical, cognitive, creative, social and emotional development of all kids, yet far too many are missing out on the chance to play, due to lack of playspaces at home, at school and in communities.
"We're thrilled with the creativity the grant winners have brought to these projects," said Vicki Draughn, vice president – corporate affairs for Dr Pepper Snapple. "A place to play can be so many more places than we ever imagined and we can't wait to see these ideas come to life."
To learn more about the ten selected grantees, including photos and descriptions of their upcoming projects, please visit kaboom.org/la.
About Let's Play
Let's Play is an initiative by Dr Pepper Snapple Group to provide kids and families with the tools, places and inspiration to make active play a daily priority. Through Let's Play, Dr Pepper Snapple partners with two non-profit organizations, KaBOOM! and Good Sports, to build and improve playgrounds in underserved communities and provide grants for sports equipment. In this way, Dr Pepper Snapple is doing our part to help eliminate the play deficit by making active play possible for more kids. Since its launch in 2011, Let's Play has provided more than 10 million children with more opportunities to play via safe, accessible playgrounds and sports equipment. For more information, please visit LetsPlay.com or Facebook.com/LetsPlay.
About Dr Pepper Snapple Group
Dr Pepper Snapple Group 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 seven of the top 10 non-cola soft drinks, and nine of our 10 leading brands are No. 1 or No. 2 in their flavor categories. In addition to our flagship Dr Pepper and Snapple brands, our portfolio includes 7UP, A&W, Bai, Canada Dry, Clamato, Crush, Hawaiian Punch, IBC, 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 giving all kids – particularly those growing up in poverty in America – the childhood they deserve filled with balanced and active play, so they can thrive. Since 1996, KaBOOM! has collaborated with partners to build, open, or improve more than 16,700 playgrounds, engaged more than one million volunteers, and served 8.5 million kids. KaBOOM! creates great places to play, inspires communities to promote and support play, and works to drive the national discussion about the importance of play in fostering healthy and productive lives. To learn why #playmatters and why cities are embracing #playability: visit kaboom.org or join the conversation at twitter.com/kaboom or facebook.com/kaboom.
CONTACT:
Dr Pepper Snapple Group: Karen Kramer, 972-408-7023, [email protected]
KaBOOM!: Caroline Finnell, 202-464-6164, [email protected]
SOURCE KaBOOM!
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