KaBOOM! Play Together Tour Powered by Disney Parks Kicks Off in Anaheim
WASHINGTON, D.C./BURBANK, Calif. August 7, 2014 – The KaBOOM! Play Together Tour powered by Disney Parks kicks off August 16 in Anaheim, California, before travelling across America for fun-filled family play events that inspire meaningful connections between children and the influential adults in their lives.
Located in the Center Street Promenade, the free events will take place Saturday, August 16, and Sunday, August 17, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. each day. The highlight of the weekend will be a playful obstacle course designed by Disney Imagineers. Families will design their team flags and make their way through the various games and team-building stations to build tunnels, solve puzzles, and play together. Once they have finished, they can enjoy the imagination play zone and explore family volunteering opportunities.
KaBOOM! recognized Anaheim earlier this year for being at the vanguard of cities across the country making efforts to offer more opportunities for play and highlighting the importance of play in the community. In addition to being home to one of the most playful places in the country, Disneyland Resort, it is only fitting that the city is the first of six cities in the U.S. to host the tour as it travels across the country.
“Our great City of Anaheim is privileged to be home to caring, community-focused organizations, and my thanks go to KaBOOM! and Disney for demonstrating tremendous acts of kindness in giving our children great places to play,” said Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait. “And they are taking that one step further by offering an exciting weekend of outdoor play activities for the entire family. I encourage our residents to come play together in Anaheim. I hope to see you there!”
“We are thrilled to work with Disney once again and provide another creative way in which families can spend meaningful and playful bonding time together, especially in the wonderful city of Anaheim,” said KaBOOM! CEO and Founder Darell Hammond. “At KaBOOM!, we advocate for the balanced and active play kids need to thrive, and are excited to present this unique opportunity for families.”
While there is no doubt to the importance of quality family time, research supported by Disney Parks and completed by the Search Institute and Center for Childhood Creativity has underscored the powerful influence that spending meaningful time together has on a child’s success in school and involvement in their community.
“For nearly 60 years, we’ve made our mark creating places where families can connect and spend meaningful time together,” said Walt Disney Parks & Resorts Chairman Tom Staggs. “Through our work with KaBOOM!, we are able to bring that expertise to communities around the country to help nurture, inspire, and empower kids and families.”
To register and join the fun, families can visit kaboom.org/playtogether. To see family stories, highlights, and surprises from this summer’s KaBOOM! Play Together Tour, follow KaBOOM! on Facebook and Twitter or join the conversation using #playfulfamily. Read more about the research complied by the Search Institute and Center for Childhood Creativity at DisneyDiscoverTogether.com.
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ABOUT ANAHEIM –The City of Anaheim, founded in 1857, is one of the nation’s premier municipalities and is one of California’s most populous cities. Anaheim covers 50 square miles with more than 346,000 residents and more than 2,900 City employees. The municipal corporation’s annual budget is $1.6 billion. Anaheim supports a thriving business community with companies such as Carl Karcher Enterprises, Inc., L-3 Communications, Pacific Sunwear, and Disneyland Resort. Successful sports franchises call Anaheim home, including Angels Baseball, Anaheim Ducks, the U.S. Men’s National Volleyball Team, and the 2012 Olympic Games Silver Medal winning U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team. Anaheim also boasts world-class meeting and entertainment venues with the Anaheim Convention Center, LEED-certified and the largest on the west coast, Honda Center, City National Grove of Anaheim, Anaheim GardenWalk, and Angel Stadium of Anaheim. In addition, Anaheim embraces its vibrant cultural arts community, including the world-renowned Anaheim Ballet. Annually, Anaheim welcomes millions of visitors to the city, truly making it where the world comes to live, work and play. For more information, please visit www.anaheim.net.
About KaBOOM!
KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated to the bold new goal of ensuring that all children, particularly the 16 million American children living in poverty, get the balanced and active play they need to thrive. KaBOOM! has been a powerful champion for play since its founding in 1996, working with partners to build, improve and open more than 15,000 playgrounds, engage more than 1,000,000 volunteers and serve more than 6,600,000 children. KaBOOM! creates and catalyzes great places to play, inspires, empowers and leads play advocates, and educates and elevates the societal conversation about the importance of play in children’s lives. For more information, visit kaboom.org/act or follow the conversation on why #playmatters at twitter.com/kaboom or facebook.com/kaboom.
About Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts are where dreams come true. Nearly 60 years ago, Walt Disney created a new kind of entertainment families could experience together, immersed in detailed atmospheres and vibrant storytelling. His vision now includes a collection of five of the world’s leading family vacation destinations – Disneyland Resort, Anaheim, Calif.; Walt Disney World Resort, Lake Buena Vista, Fla.; Tokyo Disney Resort, Urayasu, Chiba, Japan; Disneyland Paris, Marne-la-Vallée, France; and Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, located on Lantau Island. A sixth resort, Shanghai Disney Resort, is currently under construction in Pudong New District, Shanghai. In addition, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts includes the world-class Disney Cruise Line; Disney Vacation Club; Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa; Adventures by Disney, a guided group vacation experience to some of the world’s most popular destinations; and Walt Disney Imagineering, which creates and designs all Disney parks, resorts and attractions.