WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 22, 2009 - This summer, KaBOOM! will be strengthening efforts to engage volunteers across the country to support United We Serve, a national effort launched by President Obama and the Corporation for National and Community Service that aims to renew the American spirit of volunteerism and service.

United We Serve will officially begin on June 22, with an announcement by the First Lady at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service in San Francisco, Calif. The initiative, which focuses on education, health, energy and the environment, and community renewal, hopes to introduce the ideals of community service to the millions of Americans new to the field. It also aims to bring current volunteers to the forefront, prompting them to organize service projects of their own and take on leadership roles. The initiative will conclude on Sept. 11, marked for the first time as a national day of service and remembrance.

"This summer, I'm calling on all of you to make volunteerism and community service part of your daily life and the life of this nation," said President Obama. "Economic recovery is as much about what you're doing in your communities as what we're doing in Washington "“ and it’s going to take all of us, working together."

As part of this effort, KaBOOM! will ask volunteers to "Pledge Allegiance to Play!" This campaign will engage volunteers at every level of experience, asking them to donate time to a community renewal project of their choice. The organization will highlight its Play Day campaign, an effort to promote grassroots celebrations of the importance of play, as well as its user-generated database of playspaces, the KaBOOM! Playspace Finder. KaBOOM! will also provide direct access to its Do-It-Yourself toolkit that gives step-by-step instructions on playspace building and refurbishment. For more information, please visit http://kaboom.org.

Darell Hammond, KaBOOM! CEO and co-founder, said, "We are extremely excited to participate in this innovative new initiative. It’s a great opportunity for Americans to cultivate a vested interest in their community and actively take part in the issues that directly affect the areas in which they live."

KaBOOM! is a national non-profit organization that envisions a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America. Since 1995, KaBOOM! has used its innovative community-build model to bring together business and community interests to construct more than 1,600 new playgrounds, skateparks, sports fields and ice rinks across North America. KaBOOM! also offers a variety of resources, including an online community, free online trainings, grants, publications and the KaBOOM! National Campaign for Play, which includes Playful City USA and Playmakers "“ a national network of individual advocates for play. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., KaBOOM! also has offices in Chicago and San Mateo, Calif. For more information, visit www.kaboom.org.

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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