Carteret, NJ – Dr Pepper Snapple Group and national non-profit KaBOOM! awarded Carteret a $15,000 Let’s Play Playground Construction grant as announced in August.
The grants are part of the first Let’s Play initiative introduced in November of last year – a $15 million, three-year commitment from Dr Pepper Snapple Group to KaBOOM!, the national non-profit saving play by ensuring there is a great place to play within walking distance of every child. Together through Let’s Play, Dr Pepper Snapple Group and KaBOOM! will build or fix up 2,000 playgrounds by the end of 2013, benefiting an estimated five million children across North America.
“The Borough Council and I recognize the incredible value of playgrounds within our parks system,” Mayor Reiman stated. “Statistics indicate that our children are becoming less physically active, and increasingly asocial with technological advances that have deterred our youths from an adequate amount of outdoor activity. Improvements such as the pending playground at Civic Center Park will play a major part in encouraging our youngsters to engage in healthier and happier lifestyles, and provide a new resource for family oriented activity.”
The Carteret Grants Office submitted a grant application to Dr Pepper Snapple Group and KaBOOM! in July and was one of 35 organizations to receive a grant from a pool of hundreds of applicants.
Funding will be applied towards approximately $30k in playground equipment to be installed at an underutilized area at the David B. Crabiel Civic Center Park Sports Complex.
In 2008, Civic Center Park received a restoration that represented the largest parks improvement project in Carteret since its Waterfront Park development. The project was largely made possible through Open Space endorsements, and over $2 million in State and County grants.
The park’s 3 baseball/softball fields were upgraded to feature low-maintenance turf, and new post/rail fencing, lighting, bleachers, and scoreboards. The improvement project introduced new passive recreational amenities, along with a variety of aesthetic enhancements, and the town’s first “dog park.” New restroom facilities were added, along with additional landscaping and trash enclosures, and additional parking, providing service to the park, its adjacent commuter bus stop, and the Robert Wood Johnson Fitness and Wellness Center.
The Reiman administration has secured over $87 million in grants, donations, and endowments since 2003, with over $38 million in park upgrades alone.
“We’ve been committed since day one to improving Carteret’s parks, and to diversifying the range of recreational opportunities available to our residents and visitors,” Councilman and Parks Commissioner Vinnie Bellino said. “The playground addition to Civic Center Park will fill a void, both in terms of unutilized property, and a former lack of such amenities for Carteret’s youngest residents within the immediate vicinity of the park.”
“Improvements such as this are owed to an aggressive approach to grant-seeking and park upgrades,” Mayor Reiman added. “Our team leaves no stone unturned when it comes to finding and getting the grant to improve our parks and our community.”
Installation, or “Build Day,” for the KaBOOM! playground is expected to take place early in 2012.
Individuals are encouraged to visit Let’s Play on Facebook at www.facebook.com/letsplay to join the conversation and learn how to apply for grants.
About Dr Pepper Snapple Group
Dr Pepper Snapple Group (NYSE: DPS) is the 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 9 of our 12 leading brands are No. 1 in their flavor categories. In addition to our flagship Dr Pepper and Snapple brands, our portfolio includes Sunkist soda, 7UP, A&W, Canada Dry, Crush, Mott’s, Squirt, Hawaiian Punch, Penafiel, Clamato, Schweppes, Venom Energy, Rose’s and Mr & Mrs T mixers. To learn more about our iconic brands and Plano, Texas-based company, please visit www.drpeppersnapple.com.
About Let’s Play
Let’s Play is a community partnership led by Dr Pepper Snapple Group (NYSE: DPS) to get kids and families active nationwide. The first Let’s Play initiative is a $15 million, three-year commitment to KaBOOM!, the national non-profit that’s saving play. Together, through Let’s Play, DPS and KaBOOM! will build or fix up 2,000 playgrounds by the end of 2013, benefiting an estimated five million children across North America. For more information, visit Let’s Play on Facebook at www.facebook.com/letsplay or online at www.LetsPlay.com.
About KaBOOM!
KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated to saving play. Children today spend less time playing outdoors than any previous generation, a fact that is having disastrous consequences on their health, achievement levels, and overall well-being. To fight this Play Deficit, social entrepreneur Darell Hammond founded non-profit KaBOOM! 15 years ago in Washington, D.C. with a vision of creating a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America. Since then, KaBOOM! has mapped over 85,000 places to play, built more than 2,000 playgrounds, and successfully advocated for play policies in hundreds of cities across the country. KaBOOM! also provides communities with online tools to self-organize and take action to support play on both a local and national level. Hammond chronicles the founding of the organization and the importance of the cause of play in his The New York Times Best Seller KaBOOM!: How One Man Built a Movement to Save Play. The book details how businesses and communities can work together to save play for children across the country. All author proceeds support KaBOOM!. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., KaBOOM! also has offices in Chicago and San Mateo, Calif. For more information, visit www.kaboom.org.
