2. Where will Mutual of Omaha and KaBOOM! build playgrounds in 2009?

Dallas
On May 14, 2009, more than 200 volunteers gathered in East Dallas to build a playground for the preschool and kindergarten students at Reconciliation Academy. While the weather was gloomy, the volunteers' spirits were high. This proved to be helpful - as weather delayed the start of the playground by nearly three hours. Finally at 11 a.m., the volunteers were given the all clear to get to work and turn a dream into a playground reality.

In just over five hours, volunteers moved 160 cubic yards of mulch, mixed eight tons of concrete by hand, built shade structures, painted a beautiful mural that will be hung in the school and assembled all of the playground equipment with hand tools. Volunteers were inspired throughout the day as classes of young children came out to thank everyone.

The new playground will aid the school in their mission to offer programs for children in East Dallas who come from low-income homes.

Denver
July 16, 2009
The Park People work to preserve, enhance and serve as advocates for Denver's extensive parks and recreation system. The organization was founded in 1969 by a group of park enthusiasts who recognized the need for additional resources to maintain and enhance the city's parks.

The Park People have partnered with the Denver Parks and Recreation Department to assist in the revitalization of Knox Court Park in West Denver - one of the lowest income areas in the city with a large population of children under the age of 15. The two partners hope to continue enhancing the park through community support to make Knox Court Park a family and community destination. As part of that process, hundreds of volunteers will be coming together to build a brand new playground through a partnership between KaBOOM! and the Mutual of Omaha Foundation.

Omaha (April and August)
April
On April 16, 2009, more than 300 volunteers -- including 254 Mutual of Omaha employees -- gathered near Bellevue, Neb., at the Salvation Army's Gene Eppley Camp with a common mission: to build a playground in one day. Joined by Salvation Army staff and the University of Nebraska at Omaha Maverick hockey team, the volunteers moved more than 150 cubic yards of mulch, assembled playground equipment with hand tools, mixed concrete by hand, built shade structures, painted a nearby basketball court and built an outdoor stage and classroom at the camp -- all in less than six hours.

The new playground will aid the camp in its mission of providing more than 1,000 economically disadvantaged children a chance to participate in activities that foster their leadership, team building, problem solving and lifelong learning skills each year.

August 6, 2009
Benson West Elementary School has been a staple of the Benson Neighborhood for almost 100 years, serving more than 600 students from kindergarten through sixth grade each year. The current playground at Benson West has not been updated in 20 years. It is small, old, rusting and poorly designed. In addition, the current play space does not provide activities to support the wide age range of students at the school.

The new playground - built by KaBOOM! and the Mutual of Omaha Foundation - will not only be used by the school, it will be open to the public during non-school hours, allowing children from all over the neighborhood to take advantage of this exciting new place to play. This play space will offer the school’s families a local area to gather with their children in order to encourage more time spent as a family and as a community.

Phoenix
Tentatively scheduled for November. Recipient organization information will be added at a later date.

St. Louis
Meadows Elementary School is part of Riverview Gardens Public School District, which was founded 80 years ago. The district has grown from a one-room schoolhouse to a suburban school district that includes nine elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school, as well as an early childhood development center. The mission of Meadows Elementary School is to provide an environment that encourages high morals, positive attitudes and the self-discipline needed to be knowledgeable and productive citizens. The school is committed to meeting the needs of their students through the strong effort and support from their staff, students, and community resources. Consider joining us on August 13, to help build a dream playground for the children of Meadows Elementary. Volunteer sign-up will begin the week of July 6.

Tampa
Wellswood Park is one of Tampa’s largest and most popular city parks. It is categorized as a “program park” that hosts after-school and sports programs at an affordable rate. It is the only improved park site that serves Wellswood, a neighborhood developed in the 1950s as one of Tampa’s first suburbs.

This new playground will offer a disadvantaged neighborhood a great place to play and gather. It will provide greater play variety and increased capacity so that more children can be accommodated and use the park as a gathering point for positive activities and socialization. This is especially important in this neighborhood where children are at-risk. Wellswood Park draws families from many surrounding neighborhoods throughout Tampa. Consider joining us on this build on October 1, 2009. We will begin registering volunteers through this site the week of August 24.