McCullough Elementary School Chosen as Grand Prize Winner of the "PLAYSKOOL Win a Boundless™ Playground Essay Contest"
PROVIDENCE, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 13, 2007--Boundless Playgrounds® (www.boundlessplaygrounds.org), Hasbro Inc.'s (NYSE:HAS) PLAYSKOOL brand and GameTime (www.gametime.com), a playground equipment manufacturer, today revealed that McCullough Elementary School and the Penn-Trafford School District in Claridge, Pennsylvania, is the grand prize winner of the "PLAYSKOOL Win a Boundless Playground Essay Contest" and will receive a Boundless playground in their community so children of all abilities can play together.
The essay, submitted jointly by third-grade teacher Scott Mickey and parent Lisa Popovich, beat out almost 1,000 entries which were received from 44 states plus the District of Columbia. The goal of the contest is to raise awareness that playgrounds should not exclude children with disabilities - instead, playgrounds can and should be places where everyone is included in the fun.
"Scott and Lisa's story provides a touching example of why universally accessible playgrounds are so vital to healthy children and communities," said Amy Jaffe Barzach, executive director/co-founder of Boundless Playgrounds. "We are so grateful to be able to provide such a deserving community with a playground that will provide joy and fuel imaginations for years to come, and it brings us one community closer to making this wish come true for children everywhere."
McCullough Elementary School and the community surrounding the school will receive a Boundless playground worth up to $300,000 which is to be built at a site previously designated as a practice field adjacent to the elementary school and centrally located for community use. Following is an excerpt from the winning essay:
"While our goal to differentiate instruction within McCullough Elementary School has been successful, our community playground outside has fallen behind and limits our children's play, movement, and interactions. 'To infinity and beyond' is not realized on the old, rusty, and outdated equipment. Many of our student population cannot even access the equipment due to its height or lack of ramps."
"We at PLAYSKOOL are proud to award McCullough Elementary School with one of the greatest gifts a community could ever receive, a place where children and parents of all abilities can connect without boundaries," said Lorrie K. Browning, General Manager, PLAYSKOOL. "It has been an absolute pleasure working with Boundless Playgrounds over the years to help them grow as an organization and meet the vast need for universally accessible playgrounds, and we look forward to continuing our support in the future."
"The overwhelming response this essay contest elicited only reinforces our resolve to help provide every child with a place where they can play and learn together with their peers," said Tom Norquist of GameTime. "McCullough Elementary School's story truly inspires us and we look forward to building them a playground they will use for years to come."
It was more than a decade ago that Amy Jaffe Barzach lost her 9-month-old son to spinal muscular atrophy and decided to build a universally accessible playground, in his memory. His family imagined that in Jonathan's dreams playgrounds would be places where children of all abilities could celebrate life. The special playground built in Jonathan's memory became the inspiration that led to Boundless Playgrounds being established. As a founding national sponsor, Hasbro has been the organization's most ardent supporter; the company has donated more than $1 million, helped establish a national resource center, launched an educational campaign, helped develop Boundless playgrounds in 24 disadvantaged communities across the country and sponsored two signature playgrounds in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
Official rules and details can be found at www.PLAYSKOOL.com.
BOUNDLESS PLAYGROUNDS - Boundless Playgrounds is a 501©(3) nonprofit organization that provides leadership to help communities create extraordinary playgrounds where children, with and without disabilities, can develop essential life skills as they learn together through play. More than 100 Boundless playgrounds are now open in over 20 states, the District of Columbia and Canada and dozens more are currently in development. Boundless Playgrounds, based in Connecticut, was founded in 1997 by a passionate team of parents and professionals.
GAMETIME - Since 1929, GameTime has been committed to enriching childhood through play. GameTime produces the largest selection of creative and traditional play systems ever offered, and is the only manufacturer to take a research-based approach to play, by funding independent research studies to discover children's skill sets at target stages of development, then designing equipment to encourage those skills. Its equipment consistently exceeds minimum safety requirements and accommodates accessibility for physically challenged children.
HASBRO/PLAYSKOOL - Since 1928, PLAYSKOOL, the infant/preschool toy division of Hasbro, Inc. (NYE:HAS), has been a tireless advocate for children's healthy development, seeking out the maximum enjoyment in play and learning activities regardless of age and physical abilities. Hasbro is the first national founding sponsor of Boundless Playgrounds, providing financial gifts totaling more than $1 million to date. As a toy company, Hasbro believes in the importance of discovering and learning through play and is dedicated to helping Boundless Playgrounds bring this joy to every child. PLAYSKOOL allows parents, grandparents and other guiding forces in children's lives to engage in play and dialogue which provides an educational cornerstone for developing and maximizing the joy in the critical years up to age five. The PLAYSKOOL product line includes timeless classics such as MR. POTATO HEAD, SIT 'N SPIN, WEEBLES, GLOWORM, SIMON SAYS, RIDE 2 ROLL SCOOTER and COOL CREW. PLAYSKOOL and its parent company, Hasbro, are based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
CONTACT: Allison & Partners for PLAYSKOOL
Tara Chiarell, 212-302-5460 x9
Tara@allisonpr.com
or
Boundless Playgrounds®
Kathy Andrews, 860-243-8315, ext. 110
Director of Communications
kandrews@boundlessplaygrounds.org
or
GameTime
Anne-Marie Spencer, 256-997-5430
Director of Marketing
aspencer@gametime.com
SOURCE: Hasbro Inc.
