FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MAY 20, 2011
CONTACT: Debbie Bitting, PLCM, 717-236-9469, dbitting@plcm.org
Jill Chiccarino Beck, City of Erie, 814-870-1204, jbeck@erie.pa.us
Christina Novak, DCNR, 717-772-9101, cnovak@state.pa.us
Mike Vietti, KaBOOM!, 202-464-6076, mvietti@kaboom.org
DESIGN FOR NEW ERIE PLAYGROUND SELECTED;
VOLUNTEERS STILL NEEDED FOR JUNE 21 BUILD DAY
ERIE, Pa. - The City of Erie, the Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities (PLCM), the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and organizers from national non-profit KaBOOM! announced that a design has been selected for the new playground to be built by volunteers at Gridley Park on June 21.
The new playground, which was designed by children at a Design Day event held on April 27, will be built by more than 400 volunteers on June 21, including mayors and city officials from across the state in conjunction with the PLCM's 112th Annual Convention.
The 4,891-square foot playground features a range of activities for children of all ages and abilities. Features include: an Inclined Cliff Hanger, a Rope Climber, Swing Sets, a Slither Slide, a Tic-Tac-Toe Activity Wall, a Triple Racer Slide and many more.
Additional volunteers are still needed to build the playground. No experience is necessary, and there are jobs for people of all ages and abilities. A light breakfast, lunch and beverages will be provided. Volunteers are needed from
8:00 a.m. through 2:30 p.m., when a ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place to dedicate the new playground.
Online sign-up for playground build volunteers is available just click here to sign up. For additional questions on volunteering, please contact John Brenner, PLCM Director of Development at 717-236-9469 or jbrenner@plcm.org.
The playground will be made possible by contributions from the City of Erie, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, the School District of the City of Erie, the PA Department of Health, the Erie County Department of Health, and the Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities.
About Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities
The Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization established in 1900 as an advocate for Pennsylvania's 3rd class cities. Today, PLCM represents Pennsylvania's cities, townships, town, boroughs, and home rule municipalities that all share the League's municipal policy interests. The Board of Directors oversees the administration of a wide array of municipal services including legislative advocacy, publications, education/training, consulting-based programs, and group insurance trusts. For more information, please visit the PLCM website.
About City of Erie
As one of Pennsylvania's largest cities and the Commonwealth's only Great Lake Port, Erie is strategically located within 500 miles of half the nation's population. Incorporated April 14, 1851, Erie is home port to Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry's US Brig Niagara, the Flagship of Pennsylvania. Erie's rich maritime history is an important aspect of our American history. Please visit the City of Erie Website.
About Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Established on July 1, 1995, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is charged with maintaining and preserving the 117 state parks; managing the 2.2 million acres of state forest land; providing information on the state's ecological and geologic resources; and establishing community conservation partnerships with grants and technical assistance to benefit rivers, trails, greenways, local parks and recreation, regional heritage parks, open space and natural areas. Please visit the PA DCNR Website.
About KaBOOM!
KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated to saving play. Children today spend less time playing outdoors than any previous generation, a fact that is having disastrous consequences on their health, achievement levels, and overall well-being. To fight this Play Deficit, social entrepreneur Darell Hammond founded non-profit KaBOOM! 15 years ago in Washington, D.C. with a vision of creating a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America. Since then, KaBOOM! has mapped over 85,000 places to play, built almost 2,000 playgrounds, and successfully advocated for play policies in hundreds of cities across the country. KaBOOM! also provides communities with online tools to self-organize and take action to support play on both a local and national level. Hammond chronicles the founding of the organization and the importance of the cause of play in his The New York Times Best Seller KaBOOM!: How One Man Built a Movement to Save Play. The book details how businesses and communities can work together to save play for children across the country. All author proceeds support KaBOOM!. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., KaBOOM! also has offices in Chicago and San Mateo, Calif. For more information, visit the KaBOOM website.
# # #
