FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 26, 2017
City of Greenwood honored as 2017 Playful City USA Community
Designation recognizes city’s efforts to transform ordinary places into playful spaces
GREENWOOD, Ind. – National non-profit KaBOOM! is honoring the City of Greenwood with a Playful City USA designation. Playful City USA honors cities and towns across the country for putting the needs of families first so kids can learn, grow and develop important life skills. Recognized communities are transforming ordinary places into playful spaces and using play as a solution to the challenges facing their residents.
It its application to KaBOOM!, Greenwood highlighted a number of initiatives designed to increase recreational activities for children and families, including:
• A re-imagined Greenwood Community Center
• Freedom Springs Aquatic Center
• Art on the Trailway
• New play pockets throughout Craig Park
• Greenwood Parks’ rent-a-bike program
• Greenwood’s Summer Concert Series and new Summer Movie Series
“Research shows a high quality of life leads to community success and growth, attracting an educated workforce and the companies seeking to locate amongst such talent,” said Greenwood Mayor Mark W. Myers. “We’re proud to receive national recognition for efforts to improve play opportunities and overall quality of life, and we plan to keep building on this momentum.”
The 2017 Playful City USA recognition includes 258 communities from Richmond, Virginia to Richmond, California that make it as easy as possible for kids to play. In total, these communities feature more than 14,000 safe and engaging playspaces that serve more than 4 million kids.
As cities are becoming hotbeds for innovation, communities across the country are creating inventive ways to attract and retain residents. Playful City USA honorees are taking bold action to ensure kids have great places to play – all with the ultimate goal of making play the easy choice for all kids, no matter where they live.
“We are thrilled to recognize Greenwood for putting kids first,” said KaBOOM! CEO James Siegal. “The well-being of our communities starts with the well-being of our kids, and play is critical for them to thrive. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that all kids get the childhood they deserve filled with play.”
To see the full list of Playful City USA communities and to learn more about making play the easy choice for kids, visit kaboom.org/playfulcityusa. You can also take part in the conversation with leaders across the country using #PLAYceforkids on Twitter and Facebook.
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