Playtime came to Huntington Beach, California as Yokohama Tire teamed with local partners and volunteers to build a new KaBOOM! playground at Oak View Park on February 27.
More than 2,500 local kids will benefit as approximately 250 volunteers from Yokohama, the City of Huntington Beach, Children’s Bureau and KaBOOM!, worked together to build the brand-new, eco-friendly playground in one day.
“A dream became a reality for thousands of happy kids,” said Alan Holtschneider, director of marketing at Yokohama. “For years to come, the new playground will be a fun, safe play area for children and their parents.”
“It’s great to see the community come together for this extraordinary project that will benefit thousands of children of Huntington Beach,” said Erik Peterson, mayor of Huntington Beach. “Many thanks to Yokohama Tire, Children’s Bureau and KaBOOM! for building this spectacular playground. The kids will love it.”
“The collective energy that went into making this playground possible is what makes it so special,” said Ron Brown, president & CEO of Children’s Bureau. “It is a true testament of what a united community can accomplish. Because of everyone’s tremendous efforts, the young Huntington Beach community now has a place to call their own.
Highlights of the playground build included the installation of new, brightly colored, environmentally safe “Cradle-to-Cradle”-certified playground equipment. Yokohama and KaBOOM! met with local parents and their children in January for “Design Day,” to help create the playground’s look and to pick out color schemes and equipment.
“It was fun to see what the kids came up with,’” Holtschneider said. “Several of their ideas and equipment choices made it into the final design.”
This was the fourth playground collaboration with Yokohama and KaBOOM! – the national non-profit dedicated to ensuring that all kids get a childhood filled with the balanced and active play needed to thrive. The first three were built in San Juan Capistrano, California; Rockland, Massachusetts; and West Point, Mississippi.
“Thanks to Yokohama Tire Corporation, the City of Huntington Beach and Children’s Bureau, several hundreds of kids now have a great, safe place to play,” said Lysa Ratliff, vice president, partnership development of KaBOOM!. “We’re so glad that KaBOOM! was once again able to help provide a playspace where these kids can just be kids.”
About Yokohama Tire Corporation
Celebrating its 50th year in the U.S., Yokohama Tire Corporation is the North American manufacturing and marketing arm of Tokyo, Japan-based The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., a global manufacturing and sales company of premium tires since 1917. Servicing an extensive sales network throughout the U.S., Yokohama Tire Corporation is a leader in technology and innovation. The company’s complete product line includes tires for high-performance, light truck, passenger car, commercial truck and bus, and off-the-road mining and construction applications. For more information on Yokohama’s broad product line, visit www.yokohamatire.com, www.yokohamatruck.com or www.yokohamaotr.com.
Connect with Yokohama Tire Corporation:
www.youtube.com/user/yokohamamotorsports
www.instagram.com/yokohamatire
Yokohama is a strong supporter of the tire care and safety guidelines established by the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association and the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration. Details can be found at the “Tire Care & Safety” section at www.yokohamatire.com.
About KaBOOM!
KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated to giving all kids – especially those living in poverty – the childhood they deserve through great, safe places to play. KaBOOM!
inspires communities to make play the easy choice and works to drive the national discussion about the importance of PLAYces. KaBOOM! has collaborated with partners to build or improve more than 17,000 playspaces, engage over 1.5 million volunteers and serve nearly 10 million kids. To learn why play matters for all kids, visit kaboom.org and join the conversation at twitter.com/kaboom, facebook.com/kaboom and instagram.com/kaboom. #playmatters #PLAYceforKids
About the City of Huntington Beach, California
Huntington Beach is a seaside city within Orange County in Southern California. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean on the west, and has been long known for its long 8.5 miles of beautiful beach, mild climate, and excellent surfing, earning it the nickname of Surf City. Surf, sand, sun and subtle sophistication encapsulate what the City of Huntington Beach is all about. For more information, visit https://www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/.
About Children’s Bureau
Since 1904, Children's Bureau (www.all4kids.org) has been a nonprofit leader in protecting vulnerable children through prevention, treatment and advocacy. The agency is unique in that it focuses on three key areas for creating impact: strengthening families and communities, building peer capacity and transforming systems and communities. Children’s Bureau helps 40,000 children and parents each year throughout Southern California with services that include school readiness, parenting classes, family resource centers, support groups, mental health counseling, foster care and foster-adoption and more. Children’s Bureau is one of the largest investors in child abuse prevention in the country and is developing a national model to transform an entire at-risk community through its Magnolia Community Initiative.