Ward 8 Will Get New Playground From D.C.-Based Non-Profit

WASHINGTON, D.C — The national non-profit and D.C.-based KaBOOM! will build its 3,000th playground at the Town Hall Education Arts Recreation Campus (THEARC) near Congress Heights Wednesday morning. The new playground will bring more than 36,500 kids east of the Anacostia River "one step closer to having the play-filled childhood they deserve," a press release states.

The kick-off ceremony will be held at 8:30 at THEARC, located at 1901 Mississippi Ave. SE. Over 200 volunteers from THEARC, KaBOOM! and local residents from Ward 8 will join forces to build the historic playground.

KaBOOM! CEO James Siegal, Executive Director of THEARC Rahsaan Bernard and players from the Washington Capitals will be there Wednesday to partake in the event, according to a press release. Dallas Clayton, an author and muralist, will also paint a mural on-site during build.

Participants will celebrate the organization's achievement of providing 8.5 million kids with a safe place to play. This playground is the 3,000th playground built by KaBOOM! The first KaBOOM! playground was built in Washington, D.C. exactly 22 years ago, the press release states. Since then, over one million volunteers and thousands of community and funding partners have played a vital role in building playgrounds around the country.

Wednesday's celebration is slated to run from 8:30 a.m. to about 3 p.m. Washington Capitals players will participate in the ribbon-cutting ceremony in the afternoon.

Mayor Muriel Bowser will be at THEARC Saturday at KaBOOM!'s post-build event. More information to come on that event, check back on Patch.

Pixabay Photo