Are you on Facebook? Now you can promote the cause of play by "poking" your friends! Here's how.

First, login to Facebook. Make sure you've added the SuperPoke application.

Then, go to the SuperPoke application (which looks like this):

Select the friends you want to poke (we recommend using the "select all" button!).

Then, select the "Causes" tab and choose "Build a playground with KaBOOM!" (see below).

Then click the big "SuperPoke Them!" button.

Once you’ve sent the SuperPoke to all of your friends, you’ll be taken to a page where you can donate your Facebook status to KaBOOM!, and recruit your friends to the cause of play with KaBOOM!.

By Pete Scholz
12 News
Dec. 16, 2008

Piece by piece, students at Riverbend Preparatory Academy anxiously waited for that one thing that was missing from their new school, a playground! "They would play in this empty field that's back here, but that was pretty much it," says Tamara Hancock, who has two kids at Riverbend.

With the help of over 100 volunteers from Home Depot and the surrounding community, Kurt Warner, the NFL MVP called a different sort of play today to get the new playground equipment courtesy of the nonprofit, Kaboom! and the Home Depot NFL Neighborhood MVP program.

Watch the video here.

Stonyfield Farms sponsors charity contest on KaBOOM
Ameres Blog
Dec. 14, 2008
This is an interesting marketing campaing from KaBOOM! and Stonyfield Farms: By collecting yogurt lids, the winning organization gets a grant.

The real KaBoom Build
Kellie - AmeriCorps
Dec. 9, 2008
The other weekend, my team and I did some ISP- building a playground in New Orleans. It was a lot of fun and we got to be pretty creative. The next day, we went back to the playground and took pictures of it without all of the people there. It looks amazing!

A Motivated Mom
SOC387: Community Service Miniterm
Dec. 12, 2008
I’ve been very impressed and inspired by the spirit of NOLA residents. On Saturday at Kaboom I got to know a woman whose actions and attitude demonstrate a passion unique to New Orleanians. Michelean, a 32 year old mother, was friendly and excited to be at Gentilly Terrace. She explained that her family lived in the city for generations and had a hard time after the storm.

KABOOM
Project Happiness
Dec. 13, 2008
Kaboom is a corporation that helps out communities by teaching them the joys of life. They do this with the help of ordinary people from software companies. Kaboom provided Costaño Elementary School and the San Francisco 49ers Academy in East Palo Alto, CA with a safe playground.

SUNHERALD TV: Suddenly, KaBOOM! It's a playground
By JAY HUGHES
Biloxi SUN HERALD
Dec. 14, 2008

PASCAGOULA -- Volunteers turned out Saturday to assemble a new playground for central Pascagoula children, adding to the city's post-Hurricane Katrina recreational options with a little corporate help.

The KaBOOM! playground at the 12th Street Recreation Center will serve about 1,000 children a year, according to city Parks and Recreation Director Darcie Crew.
Read the full article.

Playground rises in Pascagoula Nonprofit group KaBOOM! quickly erects equipment at 12th Street center
By AMBER CRAIG
Mississippi Press
Dec. 14, 2008

PASCAGOULA - Until Saturday, the 12th Street Recreation Center playground had just the basics: a swing set, a tire swing and a slide.

In just eight hours Saturday, the aging equipment was gone, and more than 150 volunteers had turned the area into an inviting place for children to enjoy themselves.

Led by the nonprofit group KaBOOM!, the volunteers erected playground equipment, hauled mulch, mixed concrete and laid down sod.
Read the full article.

The Day After
By Alyssa Andrews 
Fairytale Brownies Blog
Dec. 5, 2008
"When we arrived at South Pointe Elementary School, there was nothing but an empty lot with many holes in the ground. By the end of the day, the playground was complete - swings, a slide, a music station, spider web climber, climbing wall, pirate ship, outdoor classroom, four square set up, tether ball, hop scotch, peace pole, planters and benches. I might be missing something, but when there are more than 250 volunteers participating, there's bound to be a detail I might miss."

Kaboom! Playground
SOC387: Community Service Miniterm Blog
Dec. 6, 2008
Today, we helped to build a playground for an elementary school. Over 100 people came from the neighborhoods, out of state universities, high schools, volunteer organizations, etc. The entire playground became a totally different one after a five-hour work. The swing was built, the basketball courts were painted, the benches were constructed, and the ground was painted for hopscotch. It was amazing to see how many things could be done with the help of a lot of people. Only five-hours of work made a better community where kids will grow up.

By Steve Block
Albert Lea (Minn.) Tribune
Dec. 5, 2008

A new playground is the focus of renewal for a neighborhood in New Orleans’ flood-ravaged lower Ninth Ward. Last weekend an Albert Lea insurance agent was part of a 270-person crew that installed playground equipment at the site.

Randy Cirksena joined other State Farm Insurance agents and a contingent of U.S. Marines in a seven-hour building project designed to serve a new modular school, consisting of 50 to 60 portable classrooms. The previous school was leveled after serious damage was inflicted by Hurricane Katrina. A recently constructed hospital stands empty nearby, another victim of the storm’s fury.

Read the full article.

By Thomas C. Tobin
St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times
Dec. 7, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG — Their names were Keymaun, Desmon, D'andre, Mary, Marquez and Destine — just a few of the 25 kids from the Childs Park area who were asked eight weeks ago to put crayon to paper and design the playground of their dreams.

One boy, organizers said, excitedly described his plan: a 10-foot-high slide slanting at exactly 45 degrees. The bottom, he said, should be 3 feet off the ground so you could fly through the air and come down on a patch of spongelike material.

The dream never materialized, but something just as fun popped out of the ground Saturday at Trailhead Park, 3800 Fairfield Ave. S. About 400 volunteers helped get closer to Mayor Rick Baker's goal of having a playground within a half mile of every child in the city by 2010.

Read the full article.

By Tristan Wheelock
Tampa Bay Times
Dec. 5, 2008

Organizers hope that more than 200 volunteers will converge Saturday on a bare spot of land near the Nick Capitano Boys and Girls Club near downtown. When they leave at the end of the day, a playground could stand where before there was nothing more than dirt.

This collaborative construction effort is the result of a partnership between KaBOOM, the Boys and Girls Club and the MetLife Foundation. The project, which took weeks of planning, began Oct. 1 with a set of 20 designs. These early blueprints were not the strict plans of an architect drafted carefully in technical pencil, but the honest dreams of children scrawled in bright crayon.

Read the full article.

playground zero
By Daniel Friedman
Raising Arizona Kids
"Eileen Spitalney and David Kravetz, co-founders of Phoenix-based Fairytale Brownies, spend several days each year building playgrounds. Since 2002, they have been involved with KaBOOM, a national organization dedicated to building quality play spaces for children. KaBOOM helps local entities interested in planning and building playgrounds, skate parks, sports fields and ice rinks by providing the logistical expertise to get the projects completed."

Read the full article.

Looking for a place to play?
Our 7 Qtpies
"If you are new to an area or are traveling somewhere and need some where to let the kids blow off some steam, you can go search for a play space on KaBOOM! If you don't find the places in your area on the map, you can add the ones you know about to help other families out."

Thanks to all the awesome bloggers who have been writing about the KaBOOM! Playspace Finder! Here are two from the last week:

KaBOOM! Playspace Finder
All Because Two People Fell in Love
"KaBOOM! is a national non-profit dedicated to bringing play back into children's lives. They recently launced a new online tool called the KaBOOM! Playspace Finder, which is a user-generated google map of places to play."

Playspace Finder
Straight to the Bar
"Via Move Well : looking for a new spot for your next outdoor workout? Playspace Finder will help you track down - and rate - playgrounds, skate parks, sports fields, and even ice rinks. Nice one."

Andrew Edwards
San Bernardino County Sun
Nov. 24, 2008

SAN BERNARDINO - For those who didn't know, San Bernardino's need for improved parks maintenance is now in writing.

During work to develop a master plan for San Bernardino's parks, San Juan Capistrano-based RJM Design Group surveyed a dozen Southern California cities and found that among that group, San Bernardino spent the least on park maintenance.

San Bernardino, during the 2006-07 budget year, spent only $4,755 to maintain each acre of city parkland. That is compared with the $16,406 per acre investment made by Pasadena, which spent the most among the 12.

The second and third cities on that list, Moreno Valley and Ontario, spent $13,918 and $12,723 per acre on park maintenance, respectively.

Read the full article.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- A national group is aiming to make sure more kids in our area can enjoy some fun and games outside.

A playground in Howard Beach was built thanks to the hard work of neighborhood volunteers.

Kaboom, a group dedicated to bringing the gift of play into children's lives, made it possible.

Watch the video.

This week, the blog "Maria's Space" reviewed the kaboom.org website and the KaBOOM! Playspace Finder! Here's what she had to say:

"Play is an important part of childhood. A fun safe place for children is crucial when it comes to community playgrounds.

"Safety was the reason KaBoom was born. In 1995 24-year-old Darell Hammond read a story in the two children who suffocated while playing in an abandoned car because they didn’t have anywhere else to play. Knowing this was preventable he embarked on making changes that would affect his life and the life of children everywhere. He finally received financial backing from Kimberly-Clark and the rest as they say is history."

Read the full story.

Jump Into Tomorrow, a blog that prides itself in "listing and honoring breakthrough technology, amazing ideas and innovative individuals - every single day" recently spotlighted the KaBOOM! Playspace Finder!

Here's what they had to say:

"It's an online, user-generated map of great places to play based on any address or zip code entered. This type of technology helps online communities participate in their geographic communities in a fun and engaging way. It’s also available in widget form, so anyone can share this tool with their community."

Read the full article.

by Greg LaRose
New Orleans City Business
Nov. 24, 2008

It was a crisp Saturday morning, probably the coolest yet in New Orleans this autumn. Ordinarily, I would have joined most of the city in staying bundled up in bed, but there was a good reason to set the alarm early Nov. 15.

KaBoom, the nonprofit that’s built more than 1,500 playgrounds across the country, was back in the city to upgrade the recreational facilities at KIPP Central City Academy and Primary schools — its 114th playground build in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina.

To call this an upgrade is an understatement. What the nearly 200 students at the combined KIPP campus called a playground was little more than a rough patch of asphalt and a few portable basketball goals. If you aren’t familiar with KIPP school standards, do some research. You’ll quickly learn that everyone, from KIPP students to teachers and administrators, demands and deserves a higher standard.

Read the full story.

Looking for a change in attitude? Turn up the holiday gratitude
By Heidi Stevens
Chicago Tribune
Nov. 23, 2008

Excerpt:

'I want to include my kid(s)'
Try: Becoming an advocate for play by joining the KaBoom Playmakers Network, a group of adults and kids who work to build more play spaces. KaBoom is a national organization with the goal of building a place to play within walking distance of every kid in America. Kool-Aid sponsors the Playmakers Network, which instructs people on advocating for more and better play spots in their own communities.

Why? "Play is an old-fashioned solution to a host of modern problems," says Darell Hammond, CEO and co-founder of KaBoom. "KaBoom works with partners like Kool-Aid to rally everyone to get involved, build playgrounds, protect recess and work to ensure that every child has a chance to play every day."

What you'll do: Playmakers can adopt a variety of roles, from working with local elected officials to fundraising to cleaning and refurbishing a run-down playground. When the weather warms back up, volunteers gather to build new playgrounds in areas of need. In October, a group of around 100 volunteers gathered in Chicago's West Ridge to build an entire playground in one day.

Now what? Go to kaboom.org/koolaid and click on "advocate."

Read the full article.

Become a Playmaker!

Fitness blog "Move Well, Be Fit, Have Fun..." featured the KaBOOM! Playspace Finder recently! Here's what they had to say about it:

"It’s a fantastic user-updated community site that currently has over 12,000 playspaces around the US. If you are looking for some green space in your neighborhood — a place to practice your parkour skills or get a nice outdoor training session in, this site is for you." Read the full article!

Also, thanks to the great folks on Twitter who have been talking about KaBOOM! lately:

@jterranova
@playparks
@lindajhutchinso
@bikutoria

Designed by kids, built by volunteers:
State Farm/State Farm Bayou Classic and KaBOOM!
team up to build new playground in just one day for New Orleans children at
Abramson Science & Technology Charter School

NEW ORLEANS – More than 200 volunteers from State Farm/State Farm Bayou Classic, organizers from KaBOOM! and residents of the New Orleans community will join forces on Friday, Nov. 28 to build a new, safe playground at the Abramson Science & Technology Charter School. The new playground’s design is based on drawings provided by children who attended a Design Day event in September.   

The new playground will provide more than 400 children who attend the Abramson Science & Technology Charter School with a safe place to play. Currently, the children do not have a playground at the school to play on. The playspace is the third built by KaBOOM! and State Farm in conjunction with the State Farm Bayou Classic, and one of more than 215 KaBOOM! will lead across the country in 2008 in an effort to provide a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America. The build is also part of Operation Playground – the KaBOOM! initiative to build playgrounds in areas affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Rosita Elementary School gets revamped blacktop and equipment
By ELLYN PAK
The Orange County Register

SANTA ANA - In less than an average workday, a few hundred volunteers transformed a barren space behind Rosita Elementary School into a kid-friendly playground Thursday.

They began working early in the morning assembling benches, pouring concrete foundations and painting parts of the blacktop as young students watched a part of their school undergo major improvements.

By the afternoon, finishing touches were placed on a red and blue playground set with a spiral slide, monorail, see-saw and sliding pole. Volunteers finished a mural made out of mosaics on wall near the cafeteria. Six newly painted basketball backboards and a painted replica of the United States on the blacktop were left to dry. [More]

As families gather for the Thanksgiving holiday, KaBOOM! CEO & Co-Founder Darell Hammond invites you to join us in honoring and recognizing outstanding volunteerism in the U.S. and throughout the world.

Hammond offered online commentary in support of CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute, which will air on Thanksgiving night, Nov. 27 at 9 p.m. (ET/PT). Hosted by Anderson Cooper, the program recognizes ordinary citizens whose extraordinary deeds are making a difference in their communities and beyond.

After receiving nearly 4,000 submissions from 75 countries, a Blue Ribbon Panel including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Dr. Jane Goodall, Queen Rania Al Abdullah, Franklin Graham, Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson and George Lopez (to name a few) selected this year’s Top 10 CNN Heroes. Each honoree will receive a $25,000 award for his/her organization.

We encourage you to tune in to CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute on Thanksgiving night. For more information, please visit www.cnn.com/heroes.

Update: Hammond's commentary is now available here.

Thanks to everyone who nominated the KaBOOM! Playspace Finder for the Mashable Open Web Awards! During the nominations round, Mashable received over 43,000 verified nominations. They narrowed down this huge pool to the 10 most-nominated sites and services in each category.

Thanks to your efforts, we've passed the nomination process, and now you can vote for the KaBOOM! Playspace Finder in the next round!

The first and final voting rounds will be held from November 19th till December 15th. You can use the web form below (or click "Read more") to vote for the KaBOOM! Playspace Finder for the Open Web Awards! You can vote for one item per category per day, so vote often and tell your friends to do the same!

The Mashable Open Web Awards is the only multilingual international online voting competition that covers major innovations in web technology. Through an online nominating and voting process, the Open Web Awards recognizes and honors the top achievements in 26 categories.

By Rich Eldred
Wickedlocal.com
Nov 17, 2008

BREWSTER - Wouldn’t it be nice to build the town a playground while sitting down at breakfast, munching a quick lunch or lounging in front of “Dr. Phil”?

Well, it’s a possibility provided you’re a healthy organic diner such as administrative assistant to the town administrator, Doreen Contrastano.

“I eat yogurt every single day, sometimes twice a day and mostly it is Stonyfield (Farms),” she recounted. “I also read everything I eat so one day I was looking at the top – Stonyfield – always has different programs, and this time you could get a playground for your town.”

The Stonyfield contest is in conjunction with KaBOOM! (a nonprofit) and the school or youth group that sends in the most specially marked yogurt tops (from 6-ounce or 32-ounce containers) can win a $50,000 grant toward construction of a playground. [More]

Learn more about the Stonyfield Farms grant opportunity.

We here at KaBOOM! love bloggers...especially these fantastic folks this week!

KaBOOM in Vancleave
Design. Build. Learn. Repeat.
Nov. 7, 2008
"After working with KaBOOM! on a shade structure in North Gulfport, I was asked to lead another tile project in Vancleave, MS, a mostly rural community about 30 minutes east and north of Biloxi. This KaBOOM! build was scheduled for October 25th, “Make A Difference Day”, and Hands On wanted to help out by using painted tiles to beautify part of the park."

EL#4: KaBoom
Banana Smoothie Blog
Nov. 12, 2008
"So, I was looking through a dessert book that had brownies with special Christmas tins that you could get them shipped and gift wrapped in, and there was an insert within the magazine that had an ad for a nonprofit organization called KaBoom. Who would have thought that a nonprofit organization would be in a brownie magazine? The magazine is called Cheryl & Co. I don’t know if any of your have heard of them or not, but their brownies are delicious!"

Support the KaBOOM! Playspace Finder!
ChangeWire
Nov. 13, 2008
"Help our ServiceNation partners at KaBOOM! win recognition for their great playspace finder."

Places to Play
CityMommy
Nov. 12, 2008
"As a mom, I do my best to make sure my kids play outside every day. They’re better behaved, better able to focus, and just generally happier, all of which make my life easier. So when the kids are bored with our neighborhood playgrounds, or when we’re visiting relatives, I go online to the KaBOOM! Playspace Finder to see what playgrounds are in the area."

By Jason Pesick
Inland Valley (Calif.) Daily Bulletin
Nov. 12, 2008

The three-month old SOAR Charter Academy in San Bernardino got a brand-new playground with ideas from the kids themselves, thanks to California Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge Dealers and KaBOOM!

Exuberant smiles and faces thanked volunteers in song for their efforts in building the new playground -- which, planned with input from the kids themselves, included three slides, a play web and a mural designed by SOAR students and their parents.

The daylong effort began Wednesday at 8 a.m. as more than 250 volunteers were dispersed to help put the new playground together, which replaced 50-year-old existing play equipment built by a previous school, which had rented the building prior to SOAR's opening earlier this year. [More]

By Anne Ruisi
Birmingham News
Nov. 12, 2008

More than 200 volunteers are expected at Glen Iris Elementary School on Friday to build a deluxe playground in one day.

A horizontal loop ladder, a 360-degree spiral slide and a spiral climber, which is like a rock climbing wall, will be among the stations that will make up the KaBoom! playground, said Mike Vietti, a KaBoom! spokesman.

KaBoom! is a national nonprofit organization that helps communities build colorful playgrounds across the country. The play spaces are innovative and are designed by children. [More]

By Barbara Smith
ABC 4 News – Salt Lake City
Nov. 6, 2008

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - A flurry of activity in a Glendale Park today will lead to many happy hours for children in the community.

Team Depot, comprised of workers from Home Depot stores across the valley worked at a feverish pitch to build a playground, where there was none, in a matter of hours.

Hundreds of volunteers used their regularly scheduled days off to create mulch, pound nails, and assemble slides. The materials were donated through the KaBOOM Organization ( www.kaboom.org) , which has a goal of creating a playground within walking distance of every child in the United States. [More]

See the video

The Home Depot NFL Neighborhood MVP is a new program designed to recognize NFL players who are making a positive impact in their local communities through charitable programs and contributions.

The Neighborhood MVP program will reward 17 players, one for each week of the regular season, with a football field refurbishment or a playground build in their honor and a donation to the charity of their choice. Each player will work with representatives from KaBOOM!, a national nonprofit whose vision is to create a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America, and volunteers from The Home Depot and the local community to complete the field refurbishment or playground build projects. Learn more about this program and vote for The Home Depot NFL Neighborhood MVP! [More]

One side effect to being a Playful City USA community is great press coverage! Two more Playful City USA communities have made the news recently:

Kids, adults throw some time away at new Wapello disc golf course

New Lenox park district hosts Day of Play

Linda Florea
Orlando Sentinel Staff Writer
Nov. 3, 2008

More than 250 volunteers from Central Florida Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge dealers, Chrysler LLC, the Chrysler Foundation and Chrysler Financial and elsewhere pitched in recently with help from a national nonprofit group called KaBoom! to build a playground for children at a Devereux Florida facility in Orlando.

The new playground was fully assembled from scratch in less than eight hours for Orlando-based Devereux, which provides mental-health services to children across Florida. [More]

By John Kiesewetter
Cincinnati Enquirer
Nov. 3, 2008

See Rev. Run. See Run build.

Those who come Friday to Glory Lake - the former Lake Gloria in Colerain Township - will see Joseph "Rev. Run" Simmons from MTV's "Run's House" help build a playground.

"We're really excited about having him come," says Shelly Madison Allen, project coordinator for New Commandment Christian Fellowship Church in Norwood. [More]

School Library Journal
Oct. 29, 2008

It's not all about work—sometimes it's about play. Organic yogurt maker Stonyfield Farm is teaming with the nonprofit organization KaBOOM! to bring play back into the lives of children.

As part of the Stonyfield KaBOOM! Double Play Program, a winner will receive a $50,000 grant to build or improve a playground, skate park, basketball court, sports field, or other type of playspace. The winner will then help select a second $50,000 grant recipient from a list of KaBOOM! applicants, based on its financial need. [More]

Learn more about the KaBOOM!-Stonyfield Farms grant program.

By Nanci G. Hutson
Danbury (Conn.) News-Times
Oct. 28, 2008

NEW MILFORD -- Michelle Sanford and Michelle Johnson want neighbors, friends and residents to eat a lot of yogurt between now and Dec. 20.

Not only will it be a healthful addition to their diet, but it could help them build a replacement for the town's Creati