Win $10,000 to Improve Your Local Park

Does your community have a park that needs some sprucing up so kids can play in it? Read on!

kaBOOM! is a national nonprofit whose mission is to create great playspaces through the participation and leadership of communities. Their ultimate goal is that there be places to play within walking distance of every child in America. Pretty awesome, huh?

During this year’s Play Day 2010 (September 18-26), kaBOOM! is encouraging communities to host Play Days that include games, activities, and volunteer projects to improve local playgrounds. In conjunction with this year’s Play Day, kaBOOM! is partnering with the National Environmental Education Foundation to promote National Public Lands Day (September 25), the nation’s largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve public lands.

The National Environmental Education Foundation will help KaBOOM! Play Day sites integrate park improvement volunteer activities, and KaBOOM! will help National Public Lands Day participants engage the community with fun outdoor recreational activities.

Here’s the part you’ve been waiting for: groups that participate in both programs are eligible for grants of up to $10,000 to further improve their local park, courtesy of Mott’s and NFL PLAY 60. From what I could see, there is limited information up on the site about the grant at the moment, but you might as well get a jump on things and begin planning! To start a kaBOOM! Play Day, project go to playday.kaboom.org.

You can learn more about kaBOOM! by checking out kaboom.org, reading The kaBOOM! Blog: News for Playful People, following them on Twitter at @kaBOOM!, and liking their Facebook Page at facebook.com/kaboom.

You can learn more about National Public Lands Day by going to publiclandsday.org, following them on Twitter at @publiclandsday, and liking their Facebook Page at facebook.com/nationalpubliclandsday.

Thanks to WeVolunteer for the scoop.