Write a commentDr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS) and national non-profit KaBOOM! awarded Frederick Leighton Home and School Association a $15,000 Let’s Play Community Construction Grant that will be used to revitalize the school’s playground with new and engaging play structures.
The grant is part of Let’s Play, an initiative by DPS to provide kids and families with the tools, places and inspiration to make active play a daily priority. Unstructured, child-directed play has proven to help kids develop physically, emotionally, socially and intellectually, yet today’s kids have less time and fewer opportunities to play than any previous generation. As a result of Let’s Play grants and projects, more than 6.5 million kids will benefit from new or improved playgrounds around the nation by the end of 2020.
“The KaBOOM! grant will allow us to finally improve the playground at Leighton,” said Mary Ann Preston, Home and School Association member. “Leighton families, staff and local businesses have already stepped up by supporting our fundraising. This grant really gets us closer to our goal.”
The current playground at Leighton is 25 years old and is comprised of decaying wooden structures that lack engagement particularly for the youngest children who use the playground most often. The grant will fund several pieces of equipment, including a new Prekindergarten-Kindergarten structure that will benefit both the school and the surrounding neighborhood. The project will use a community build model to install the equipment inviting parents and community members to lend their time and energy to create a great new place to play.
Dr Pepper Snapple has committed more than $35.5 million to Let’s Play through 2019, impacting youth-serving organizations across the U.S., as well as Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Through Let’s Play, Dr Pepper Snapple partners with two non-profit organizations, KaBOOM! and Good Sports, to build and improve playgrounds in underserved communities and provide grants for sports equipment. In this way, Dr Pepper Snapple is doing our part to help eliminate the play deficit by making active play possible for more kids.
Since its launch in 2011, Let’s Play has provided more than 10 million children with more opportunities to play via safe, accessible playgrounds and sports equipment. Moreover, by 2020 we will have engaged more than 80,000 volunteers from Dr Pepper Snapple, our partners and our communities in this effort.
Visit Let’s Play at www.LetsPlay.com to join the conversation and learn how to apply for the various available grants to make communities more active and playful.
About Frederick Leighton Home and School Association
Frederick Leighton Elementary School is a Prekindergarten – grade 6 building in the Oswego City School District serving just over 350 students. Some of the extracurricular activities that make Leighton a great place to teach and learn are the long-standing arts festival, the annual triathlon, the student council carnival and the talent show. The school is also home to the SUNY Oswego Leighton Learning Community. The Home and School Association is a dynamic and well-organized group of parents, teachers and volunteers who tirelessly fundraise to sponsor student-centered activities throughout the school year.
About Let’s Play
Let’s Play is an initiative by Dr Pepper Snapple Group to provide kids and families with the tools, places and inspiration to make active play a daily priority. Through Let’s Play, Dr Pepper Snapple partners with two non-profit organizations, KaBOOM! and Good Sports, to build and improve playgrounds in underserved communities and provide grants for sports equipment. In this way, Dr Pepper Snapple is doing our part to help eliminate the play deficit by making active play possible for more kids. Since its launch in 2011, Let’s Play has provided more than 10 million children with more opportunities to play via safe, accessible playgrounds and sports equipment. For more information, please visit LetsPlay.com or Facebook.com/LetsPlay.
About Dr Pepper Snapple Group
Dr Pepper Snapple Group (NYSE: DPS) is a leading producer of flavored beverages in North America and the Caribbean. Our success is fueled by more than 50 brands that are synonymous with refreshment, fun and flavor. We have 6 of the top 10 non-cola soft drinks, and 13 of our 14 leading brands are No. 1 or No. 2 in their flavor categories. In addition to our flagship Dr Pepper and Snapple brands, our portfolio includes 7UP, A&W, Canada Dry, Clamato, Crush, Hawaiian Punch, Mott's, Mr & Mrs T mixers, Peñafiel, Rose's, Schweppes, Squirt and Sunkist soda. To learn more about our iconic brands and Plano, Texas-based company, please visit www.DrPepperSnapple.com. For our latest news and updates, follow us at www.Facebook.com/DrPepperSnapple or www.Twitter.com/DrPepperSnapple.
About KaBOOM!
KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated to giving all kids – particularly those growing up in poverty in America – the childhood they deserve filled with balanced and active play, so they can thrive. Since 1996, KaBOOM! has collaborated with partners to build, open, or improve more than 16,700 playgrounds, engaged more than one million volunteers, and served 8.5 million kids. KaBOOM! creates great places to play, inspires communities to promote and support play, and works to drive the national discussion about the importance of play in fostering healthy and productive lives. To learn why #playmatters and why cities are embracing #playability: visit kaboom.org or join the conversation at twitter.com/kaboom or facebook.com/kaboom.
