SCHOOL DISTRICT 129, THE CARMAX FOUNDATION, AND KABOOM! WORK TO END PLAYSPACE INEQUITY WITH A NEW PLAYGROUND AT NICHOLSON ELEMENTARY

The new playspace brings joy to hundreds of kids

after months of playground closures

Montgomery, IL (August 19, 2020) – Kids at Nicholson Elementary School in Montgomery are celebrating today because they will have a great new place to play. For months, representatives from West Aurora School District 129, The CarMax Foundation, and KABOOM!, the nonprofit organization focused on ending playspace inequity, have been working together to increase access to playspaces for local kids with the creation of a new, kid-designed playground that was installed on August 18. The playground will give kids an incredible place to play close to where they live and learn, an opportunity that is often hard to achieve.

 

“Our students have been out of the building since mid-March,” stated Nicholson’s principal, Jen Bernal. “We know that many families have been challenged with how COVID-19 has made their lives different, from school and park closures, to limited interactions with family and friends, and even changes in how they go about their daily lives. The new playground will be a welcome source of pride and play for the Nicholson community.”

 

Physical education teacher Jesse Rocha shared, "I am so proud to have been a part of this for our wonderful little school! So happy our kids will have a wonderful new playground where we all had a part in selecting the final design!”

 

In May, kids from Nicholson participated in a virtual Design Day where they creatively thought of ideas to create their dream playground. The new playground, which was designed with inspiration from their drawings, will provide hundreds of kids and their families in Montgomery with an incredible playspace that can spark hope and enable kids to reach their full potential.

 

Although the new playground will officially open this Friday, August 21, visitors are encouraged to wear masks and abide by social distancing. Additionally, guests should be mindful that the playground will not be cleaned between users. 

 

KABOOM! knows that playspaces are essential to building resilience and promoting healthy habits during childhood by encouraging movement and cooperation. During COVID-19, economically challenged districts have struggled to mobilize the scarce resources they have to provide for the health and safety of their students and staff. They have not always been able to reinvest in play spaces. KABOOM! and The CarMax Foundation are there to fill that gap. The partners have teamed up to help end playspace inequity, creating a new place for kids to play that reflects the neighborhood’s unique needs and aspirations, and gives every kid the opportunity to experience the joys of childhood. 

 

“We know disasters and crises often exacerbate the inequities that communities are already experiencing, and in many communities, kids won’t have a playground to go back to once the COVID-19 crisis is over,” says James Siegal, CEO of KABOOM!. “We must stop the playspace inequities from becoming even deeper after we get through this pandemic, giving every kid the chance to play and just enjoy being a kid.”

 

The CarMax Foundation has provided the majority of the funding for the playground through its national partnership with KABOOM!, supporting The Foundation’s commitment to furthering the cause of children’s healthy living. Since 2011, The CarMax Foundation has invested $13 Million to create 170 playspaces across the country, reaching over 350,000 kids. Through its partnership with The CarMax Foundation, KABOOM! is committed to ending playspace inequity for kids, for communities, for good.

 

To ensure that playgrounds are able to open safely in every community, KABOOM! has issued important playground guidance that all communities, playground owner/operators and caregivers can follow. The guidance can be viewed or downloaded at kaboom.org/reopen.

 

About West Aurora School District 129

West Aurora School District 129 is a unit school district located in southeastern Kane County, Illinois. District 129 is proud of its rich tradition of excellence, which dates back to 1868 when “West Side High School” first met on the third floor of Old Stone School. In 1870, the first graduating class was comprised of five members. Today, the West Aurora School District includes eighteen school buildings, serving over 12,000 students and employing 1,800 individuals, making the district the second largest employer in the city of Aurora. The high school campus now occupies an area of nearly a square half-mile and encompasses an athletic stadium, extensive playing fields, and courts. It also includes an arboretum-like collection of more than 200 trees. The academic offerings range from college prep to career education. Award-winning extracurricular activities include the arts, twenty-three sports, technology, and cultures. One of the greatest strengths of the district is the success with which it has embraced the diversity of the student body, thereby enriching the surrounding communities.

 

About The CarMax Foundation

The CarMax Foundation enriches the communities where our associates live and work. Together with CarMax, Inc., the Foundation has donated more than $65 million since 2003. Funding programs are made available through a portion of CarMax, Inc.’s pre-tax profits. CarMax, the nation’s largest retailer of used cars, revolutionized the automotive retail industry by driving integrity, honesty and transparency in every interaction. CarMax continues to innovate and now the majority of its customers can enjoy a personalized car buying experience, including the option to complete transactions entirely from home, in store, or in a seamless combination of both. CarMax has more than 215 stores nationwide, and during the fiscal year ending February 29, 2020, sold more than 830,000 used cars and more than 465,000 wholesale vehicles at its in-store auctions. CarMax is proud to have been recognized for 16 consecutive years as one of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For®. For more information, visit www.carmax.com.

 

About KABOOM!

KABOOM! is the national non-profit that works to achieve playspace equity. Kids who don’t have access to play miss out on childhood and are denied critical opportunities to build physical, social and emotional health. And all too often, it more deeply affects communities of color. So we amplify the power of communities to build inspiring playspaces that spark unlimited opportunities for every kid, everywhere. KABOOM! has teamed up with partners to build or improve 17,000+ playspaces, engage more than 1.5 million community members and bring joy to more than 11 million kids.

 

To learn about our goal to end playspace inequity for good, visit kaboom.org and join the conversation at twitter.com/kaboom, facebook.com/kaboom and instagram.com/kaboom