GREAT NECK, N.Y. - October 23, 2007 - KaBOOM!, the Washington, D.C.-based charity dedicated to the creation of great places to play for children in neighborhoods across America, was honored on October 19th by NARSAD, the world's leading charity dedicated to mental health research.

NARSAD presented KaBOOM! CEO and co-founder, Darell Hammond, with NARSAD's first-ever Children's Mental Health Award. The occasion was NARSAD's annual New York gala awards dinner, where the organization also presented its annual prizes for outstanding achievements in research. This year's gala marked NARSAD's 20th year of grantmaking and was dedicated to the cause of childhood mental health.

"Our goal this year is to focus public attention on the efforts of great scientists, many of whom we fund, to discover the causes and to develop effective treatments for mental illnesses which strike the youngest people of our society," said Geoff Birkett, NARSAD's president and CEO. "We think it is fitting to recognize KaBOOM! for all of the incredible work it's been doing over a decade's time to create great and wholesome places for kids to congregate and play."

"Healthy play promotes sound mental development in a variety of ways that scientists have carefully documented," commented Stephen Doochin, NARSAD's executive vice president. "For this reason, the KaBOOM! mission and NARSAD's mission intersect and support one another in constructive ways. We salute KaBOOM! and Darell Hammond for creating 1,300 play spaces, and for the love of children and the concern for childhood development that their work represents."

NARSAD's New York City gala took place Friday evening, Oct. 19th, at the Waldorf Astoria hotel, 301 Park Avenue at 49th Street, in Manhattan, with cocktails beginning at 6:30 p.m., followed by the awards ceremony, dinner and dancing.

Since 1987, NARSAD has made over 3,200 grants totaling more than $219 million to top scientists at 418 institutions in the U.S. and 26 other countries, whose research has focused on all forms of severe psychiatric illnesses, including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, childhood mental disorders and other adult and childhood conditions.

KaBOOM! is a national nonprofit organization that envisions a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America. Now in its 12th year, KaBOOM! rallies communities to achieve better public policy, funding and public awareness for increased play opportunities nationwide; provides resources, including trainings, challenge grants, and publications for communities that wish to plan a new play space on their own; and brings together children, business and community interests for a select number of community play space builds each year. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., KaBOOM! also has offices in Chicago, Atlanta and San Mateo, Calif.

KaBOOM!

KaBOOM!

KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated to the bold goal of ensuring that all children, particularly the 16 million American children living in poverty, get the active play they need to become healthy and successful adults. KaBOOM! has been a powerful champion for play since its founding in 1996, working with partners to build, improve, and open more than 15,000 playgrounds, engage more than 1,000,000 volunteers and serve more than 6,600,000 children. KaBOOM! creates and catalyzes great places to play; inspires, empowers and leads play advocates; and elevates the societal conversation about the importance of play in children’s lives. For more information, visit kaboom.org/act.

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