241 communities exhibiting Playability to be recognized as part of 2015 Playful City USA Program
REVERE (June 15, 2015) – REVERE is being honored with a 2015 Playful City USA designation for the first time. The national recognition program honors cities and towns across the country for making their cities more playable. Our success in creating opportunity for our children to be active and healthy is due to the collaboration between our residents, community groups, municipal departments, schools, health partners, and stakeholders. Together we are able to promote playability through health and wellness within the community.
Leading these efforts is Revere on the Move, a partnership between the City of Revere and the MGH Revere CARES Coalition to increase healthy eating and active living. Last year, our Community Playground Build model was implemented in rebuilding the DiSalvo and Louis Pasteur parks. This week our third Community Playground Build will take place at the Beachmont School Playground, June 19th & 20th. This model increases sense of community in the neighborhood, excitement about having safe and clean places for children to play, and community ownership of the park itself.
The City of Revere’s Recreation Department offers several free summer park programs including a week day free lunch program at all park locations. In the summer the Recreation Department provides jobs to high school students to support playful time with younger children at each park across the City. Each day one park hosts a special event free to families including characters, storytelling, mini-muscles work out sessions, sports, Frisbee dogs, magic shows, clowns, and children’s musical performers. They also host weekly movie nights on the beach, concerts, and BBQs for all Revere families. “As Mayor of the City of Revere I recognize and wholeheartedly believe that playtime is an essential in the lives of children and we place a high priority on both education and playtime,” stated Mayor Daniel Rizzo.
Louis Pasteur Park, Rebuilt in 2014
“Playability is crucial to the success of our future communities, and we are proud of the work these cities and leaders are doing to provide a better quality of life for all residents, and especially families,” says KaBOOM! President, James Siegal. “Play provides a competitive advantage for cities looking to attract and retain residents. With these esteemed leaders, and our friends and partners across the country, we continue to prioritize play for all kids.”
To learn more about these cities, see the full list of the 241 communities named 2015 Playful City USA honorees, or to gather more information on the Playful City USA program, visit www.playfulcityusa.org. We also encourage you to take part in the conversation on #playability with these thought leaders on Twitter and Facebook.
