FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JULY 15, 2013
CONTACT:
Angela Kyle, [email protected]; cell contact: 310 489 2439
Ashley Stoney, Ketchum on behalf of Dr Pepper Snapple Group, 202-835-9454, [email protected]
Mike Vietti, KaBOOM!, 785-320-2137, [email protected]
PlayBuild AWARDED $9,000 LET’S PLAY GRANT FOR IMAGINATION
PLAYGROUND™ PLAY SYSTEM FROM DR PEPPER SNAPPLE GROUP AND
NATIONAL NON-PROFIT KaBOOM!
NEW ORLEANS, July 15, 2013 – Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS) and national non-profit KaBOOM! awarded
innovative design education non-profit PlayBuild a $9,000 Let’s Play Community Construction Grant to use toward
the purchase of an Imagination Playground in a Cart™ play system as announced on July 15, 2013.
The grant is part of Let’s Play, a community partnership led by Dr Pepper Snapple Group to get kids and families
active nationwide. In 2011, as part of Let’s Play, Dr Pepper Snapple Group made a $15 million, three-year
commitment to KaBOOM!, the national non-profit saving play by ensuring there is a great place to play within
walking distance of every child. Together through Let’s Play, Dr Pepper Snapple Group and KaBOOM! will build or
fix up 2,000 playgrounds by the end of 2013, benefiting an estimated five million children across North America.
“We are thrilled to be selected as a 2013 Let’s Play grant recipient. As a start-up venture focused on design
education and transforming underutilized urban spaces into dynamic creative environments for kids and families,
the Imagination Playground is a key component of our vision and our strategy,” said PlayBuild founder, Angela
Kyle.
Founded in November 2012, PlayBuild is on a mission to convert New Orleans’ vacant lots into ‘architectural
playgrounds’. PlayBuild’s spaces will combine innovative play equipment, toys, and learning tools, in an outdoor
classroom environment. In addition PlayBuild will program an ongoing series of engaging activities and events
designed to inspire an appreciation for the rich-ness of the city’s built environment as well as exposure to an array
of creative and technical career opportunities in design, architecture and related disciplines.
Targeting kids 4-12 with an initial focus on the rapidly evolving and architecturally-rich Central City neighborhood,
PlayBuild is working with community organizations, neighborhood schools and an alliance of committed volunteers
in the local design community to educate and inspire the next generation of New Orleanians to play an active role in
building the city’s future.
Unstructured, child-directed play has been proven to help kids develop physically, socially and cognitively, yet
today’s kids have less time and fewer opportunities to play than any previous generation. Imagination Playground in
a Cart™ is an innovative design in play equipment that encourages creativity, communication, and collaboration in
TM
play. With a collection of custom-designed, oversized blue foam parts, Imagination Playground provides a
changing array of elements that allow children to turn their playground into a space constantly built and re-built by
their imagination.
Via Let’s Play grants and projects through 2012, Dr Pepper Snapple Group and KaBOOM! built or improved 1,154
playgrounds, benefitting an estimated 2.8 million children during the lifetime of the playgrounds. People are
encouraged to visit Let’s Play at www.LetsPlay.com to join the conversation and learn how to apply for the various
available grants to make their communities more active and playful.
About PlayBuild
In early November 2012, PlayBuild was chosen out of over 100 submissions as a top 10 finalist in the 2012 PitchNOLA Lots of
Progress competition, a social innovation pitch competition co-sponsored by the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority
(NORA), Tulane City Center and social incubator, Propeller. PlayBuild’s vision: to transform vacant lots into design-themed
playgrounds for kids and families in under-served New Orleans neighborhoods.
Leveraging the momentum and visibility of the competition, PlayBuild rapidly transformed from an ‘idea on paper” to a start-up
non-profit venture led by founder, Angela Kyle and Programming and Operations Director, Charlotte Jones.
In eight short months, PlayBuild has achieved significant visibility by tapping local community partners and volunteers to operate
temporary ‘pop-up playgrounds’ combining the unique experience of the “build it yourself” Imagination Playground with an array
of hands-on design and making activities to inspire appreciation of New Orleans unique architectural heritage.
The organization is now focused on developing the flagship PlayBuild site on Thalia Street in Central City, in close proximity to
neighborhood schools and the rapidly re-vitalizing Oretha Castle Haley Corridor.
PlayBuild operates under the auspices of local 501-C (3) Neighborhoods Partnership Network (NPN) as fiscal sponsor, and is
seeking donations on an ongoing basis to fund ongoing operations and develop creative program offerings for New Orleans kids
and families.
For more information visit www.playbuild.org. For our latest news and updates, follow us at: www.facebook.com/PlayBuild
About Let’s Play
Let’s Play is a community partnership led by Dr Pepper Snapple Group (NYSE: DPS) to get kids and families active nationwide.
The first Let’s Play initiative is a $15 million, three-year commitment to KaBOOM!, the national non-profit that’s saving play.
Together, through Let’s Play, DPS and KaBOOM! will build or fix up 2,000 playgrounds by the end of 2013, benefiting an
estimated five million children across North America. For more information, visit LetsPlay.com or Facebook.com/LetsPlay.
About Dr Pepper Snapple Group
Dr Pepper Snapple Group (NYSE: DPS) is a leading producer of flavored beverages in North America and the Caribbean. Our
success is fueled by more than 50 brands that are synonymous with refreshment, fun and flavor. We have 6 of the top 10 noncola soft drinks, and 13 of our 14 leading brands are No. 1 or No. 2 in their flavor categories. In addition to our flagship Dr
Pepper and Snapple brands, our portfolio includes 7UP, A&W, Canada Dry, Clamato, Crush, Hawaiian Punch, Mott's, Mr & Mrs
T mixers, Peñafiel, Rose's, Schweppes, Squirt and Sunkist soda. To learn more about our iconic brands and Plano, Texasbased company, please visit DrPepperSnapple.com. For our latest news and updates, follow us at
Facebook.com/DrPepperSnapple or Twitter.com/DrPepperSnapple.
About KaBOOM!
KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated to giving kids the childhood they deserve by bringing play to those who need it
most. 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. Social entrepreneur Darell Hammond founded nonprofit KaBOOM! in 1996 in Washington, D.C. with a vision of creating a great place to play within walking distance of every child
in America because children need to play actively every day at home, in school and in their communities. Since then, KaBOOM!
has mapped over 90,000 places to play, built more than 2,300 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!: A Movement to Save Play, now out in paperback. 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 an office in San Mateo, Calif. For more information,
visit www.kaboom.org.
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