JetBlue Crewmembers And Mayor Marty Walsh Pitch In To Build New Playground In Boston
In 88 degree temp today, 200 JetBlue crewmembers are building a @kaboom playground for 4,000 kids in #Boston! pic.twitter.com/VVPssnoRKL
— JetBlue Airways (@JetBlue) July 21, 2016
On July 21, more than 200 JetBlue crewmembers and community members including Mayor Marty Walsh braved the July heat to help build a brand-new playground with KaBoom! in Boston. Through JetBlue’s long-standing partnership with KaBOOM!, the airline and its crewmembers have helped to create safe and fun play spaces that help children get the active play they need to thrive.
Volunteers split into groups and were assigned tasks to complete as a team. Teams moved 138 cubic yards of mulch and 192 bags of concrete (80 pounds per bag), painted park benches, assembled a slide and swing set, planted flowers, and more while a live DJ played music to keep everyone excited and the energy high! The team built a new playground at BCYF Hyde Park Community Center in just one day. The design was based on children’s drawings created at a special design event in May.
The new playground will bring more than 900 kids in Boston one step closer to having the play-filled childhood they deserve. Previously this space was outdated and underutilized even though it is located in the heart of Hyde Park and adjacent to the community center and many other youth service agencies. The playground was the 24th built by JetBlue and KaBOOM!. Through this partnership, more children will have the joyful childhood they deserve. JetBlue supports KaBOOM! in promoting and protecting a child’s right to active play at home, at school and in the community.
A playground is more than a playground. It’s a brain-expander, friend-maker, and muscle-builder. Play is central to a child’s ability to grow into a productive adult. It can transform children from sedentary, bored and solitary to physically, mentally and socially active. Since 1996, KaBOOM! has been dedicated to the bold goal of 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. With its partners, KaBOOM! has built, improved and opened nearly 16,300 playgrounds, engaged more than one million volunteers, and served 8.1 million kids (#playmatters).
Stay tuned for additional photos on JetBlue’s Flickr page! Thank you to all of our volunteers!
