KaBoom! has been around for almost 15 years and captures the spirit of play, development and entrepreneurship unlike most others. Its model of community and business partnerships, and the sharing of best practices for individuals and organizations across the country and around the world is worth learning from.

The following item comes from a press release at CSRWire. You can find the full release and more information on KaBoom! at http://www.csrwire.com/members/profile/11015-KaBoom-, with an excerpt provided below.

(Excerpt)

KABOOM! Play Days Bring More Than 1,000 Communities Together to Celebrate Play and Get Kids Off the Couch; Kids in all 50 states, in 12 Different Countries and on Every Continent (Including Antarctica) Get Out to Play from September 19-27

WASHINGTON, Sep. 17 /CSRwire/ – With children between the ages of eight and 18 spending on average 6.5 hours a day in front of the television or computer, kids need a strong dose of good, old-fashioned, outdoor fun. This September 19-27, more than 1,000 communities across the country and around the world will get playful by participating in KaBOOM! Play Days, free, fun-for-the-whole-family events that celebrate play, raise money and volunteers for park and playground improvement, and rally support for the cause of play. KaBOOM!, the national non-profit dedicated to bringing play back into the lives of children, is presenting Play Days worldwide with help from long-time supporter KOOL-AID. At each Play Day, communities will come together to host fun field-day style events for their kids and improve the parks where they play.

“It’s no secret that play is key to healthy child development,” said Darell Hammond, CEO of KaBOOM!. “Research shows that active kids are healthier, perform better in school, and learn better social skills than children who are less inclined to play. By joining in a local Play Day, parents can demonstrate that they value play, healthy families and healthy communities.”

Why do kids need unstructured play? Current statistics are dismal when it comes to children and playtime:

• A recent KaBOOM! study showed that 96 percent of parents agreed that playing outside was critical to their child’s health, but only 17 percent of these same parents thought their children played enough outdoors.
• The CDC reports that for children aged 6 to 19 years, upwards of 17 percent are overweight.

The press release continues at http://www.csrwire.com/press/press_release/27665-KABOOM-Play-Days-Bring-More-Than-1-000-Communities-Together-to-Celebrate-Play-and-Get-Kids-Off-the-Couch.