The months-long collaboration between the city of Anaheim, Anaheim Ducks, and KABOOM! is set to culminate as more than 175 volunteers including Anaheim Ducks players, coaches and staff members will build and install the new KABOOM! playground, providing local children a high-quality, safe place to play that is close to where they live and learn. The unveiling celebration will also include appearances from Chief Executive Officer of ocV!BE Bill Foltz, Anaheim Ducks Hockey Club President Aaron Teats, Samueli Family Philanthropies President Lindsey Spindle, former Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf, in addition to Ducks Power Players, street team members, inflatable enforcers and mascot, Wild Wing.
The 4,300-square-foot playground will include a climbing wall, a bridge, monkey bars, a circular spider web climber, spinners, bucket swings, a companion swing, a zip line, teeter-totter and game and musical panels. The playground will be the first step in the transformation of a grassy field into Center Greens, a new downtown park next to Anaheim City Hall and the Downtown Anaheim Community Center. The 3.5-acre Center Greens, set to open in 2023, will include a new basketball court, skate park, an obstacle course, a loop walking trail and more.
"The design and building of this playground is Anaheim at its best," Mayor Pro Tem Trevor O'Neil said. "It is our city coming together to create a place to play and enjoy for neighborhood families and anyone visiting our downtown. I want to thank the Ducks, KABOOM! and all of the volunteers who are making this happen. As the first part of Anaheim's newest park, your work is the start of something big that will be enjoyed for years to come."
The new playground was a collaborative effort by community members as children and parents from the Anaheim Family YMCA and local summer programs worked alongside Ducks prospect players and staff to envision the framework of their dream playground during a design day on July 15. The playground is inspired by those drawings and will provide hundreds of kids and their families with a place to get active, build social bonds, and gather as a community.
"Playgrounds are an iconic part of childhood. They're not only where kids collect some of their best memories, but also where crucial skills are developed that nurture their physical, mental, and emotional well-being," said Lysa Ratliff, CEO of KABOOM!. "KABOOM! is thrilled to work with our partners to bring to life the new playspace at Center Greens and ensure that kids in Anaheim have a place designed just for them, where they can play, learn, and unlock their greatest potential."
The Anaheim Ducks and Samueli Foundation have provided support for the new playground through its partnership with KABOOM!, furthering its commitment to ending playspace inequity and supporting the health and wellness of kids and families in the community. This will be the 15th KABOOM! playground in Anaheim and the first sponsored by the Anaheim Ducks and Samueli Foundation, rallying neighbors around the common goal of improving communities for our kids.
"We believe that Orange County can be the best place to live for all, and that includes having safe, fun spaces in every community for every family to enjoy," said Lindsey Spindle, President of the Samueli Family Philanthropies. "The Anaheim Ducks and Samueli Foundation are thrilled to partner with the city of Anaheim and KABOOM! on bringing this project to fruition in a city we love being a part of."
To ensure that playgrounds are able to open safely in every community, KABOOM! has issued important playground guidance that all communities, playground owner/operators and caregivers can follow. The guidance can be viewed or downloaded at
kaboom.org/reopen
.
