Eat. Learn. Play., The Bhusri Family, Ripple, Oakland Unified School District and KABOOM! Unveil Schoolyard at Global Family Elementary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oakland, CA – December 16, 2022
Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation, Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), The Bhusri Family, Ripple, Silver Lake, and KABOOM! recently partnered with the community to give students an incredible place to play, learn and grow, complete with a playground, multi-sport court, mural, and garden, plus donation of laptops at OUSD’s Global Family Elementary.
Global Family Elementary provides one-way dual language Immersion (Spanish/English) education in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland California, serving 450 students from transitional kindergarten through 5th grade. Global Family is a Title 1 school where 100% of the students receive free breakfast and lunch. In October, students shared drawings of their dream playspaces with organizers, and those ideas were integrated into the new playground design. The creation of the playspace highlights the investments being made through Eat. Learn. Play.’s PLAY pillar by providing access to safe and equitable places for kids to play, be physically active, and participate in youth sports.
“Experiencing the joy and wonder of playing outside is an important part of a child’s development, which is why Eat. Learn. Play. is grateful to partnering with Kaboom!, the Oakland Unified School District, and our generous partners the Bhusri Family, Ripple, and Silver Lake to bring a new playspace and new laptops to Global Family Elementary,” said Chris Helfrich, CEO of Eat. Learn. Play. “Providing kids with access to safe and equitable places to play and be physically active close to where they live and learn is a key pillar of the work we do at Eat. Learn. Play.”
Playgrounds are critical for kids of all ages, providing countless intellectual, social, emotional, and physical benefits, but far too many kids in the United States lack adequate places to play. The recent playspace at Global Family Elementary and Eat. Learn. Play.’s previous projects at Franklin Elementary, 36th Avenue, and Oakland Academy of Knowledge will serve as centerpieces in Oakland, inviting kids to experience the joy and wonder of playing outside, while inspiring parents and caregivers with a greater sense of belonging to the community around them.
“The dedication to our students and our joyful schools that Eat. Learn. Play. and Kaboom! continue to show is nothing short of life-changing. At one school after another, they have helped us demonstrate to our students how valued they are, and deserving of nothing but the best,” said Oakland Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Kyla Johnson-Trammell. “These projects offer our students outstanding opportunities for play every day, which is critical to the learning process. On behalf of the entire District, I offer my profound thanks to Eat. Learn. Play. and Kaboom! and all their wonderful partners and volunteers, for being there for the young people of Oakland.”
This project shows that achieving playspace equity is possible when diverse partners come together to address the needs of kids. Kids will be able to play close to where they live and learn, and those playspaces will be high-quality and built with the desires of the community in mind because they were involved from the very beginning.
“Playgrounds are an iconic part of childhood. They’re not only where kids collect some of their best memories, but also where crucial skills are developed that nurture their physical, mental, and emotional well-being,” said Lysa Ratliff, CEO of KABOOM!. “KABOOM! is thrilled to continue working with Eat. Learn. Play. and OUSD as we address the needs of kids in Oakland and ensure every kid has a place designed just for them, where they can play, learn, and unlock their greatest potential with the addition of the new playspace at Global Family Elementary.”
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About Eat. Learn. Play.
Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation is an organization dedicated to unleashing the potential of every child, paving the way for amazing kids and opening doors to bright futures. Founded by Stephen and Ayesha Curry in 2019, Eat. Learn. Play. launched with a focus on improving the lives of kids and families in Oakland, the Bay Area and across the country. Rooted in three of the most vital pillars for a healthy childhood—nutrition, education and physical activity—Eat. Learn. Play. is working to ensure that every child in Oakland has access to the nutritious food they need to be healthy and thrive; resources to learn and love to read; and safe places and equitable opportunities to play. The organization, which is anchored around the message that children are our future, is committed to developing partnerships and initiatives that make a positive impact for generations to come.
About Ripple
Ripple is a crypto solutions company that transforms how the world moves, manages and tokenizes value. Ripple’s business solutions are faster, more transparent, and more cost effective - solving inefficiencies that have long defined the status quo. And together with partners and the larger developer community, we identify use cases where crypto technology will inspire new business models and create opportunity for more people. With every solution, we’re realizing a more sustainable global economy and planet - increasing access to inclusive and scalable financial systems while leveraging carbon neutral blockchain technology and a green digital asset, XRP. This is how we deliver on our mission to build crypto solutions for a world without economic borders.
About KABOOM!
KABOOM! is the national nonprofit committed to ending playspace inequity – the reality that quality places to play are not available to every child, especially in communities of color. Since 1996, KABOOM! has partnered with kids and communities to build or improve 17,000+ playspaces and ensure that nearly 12 million kids have equitable access to the crucial benefits and opportunities that playspaces offer. In 2022, KABOOM! launched the 25 in 5 Initiative to End Playspace Inequity, the $250 million plan to accelerate its mission in 25 high-priority locations over five years. Learn more at kaboom.org or join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
CONTACTS:
Stacey Ngo
Ripple
E: press@ripple.com
Tamara Grider
KABOOM!
E: tgrider@kaboom.org
Eat. Learn. Play.
Tom Dietz
E: tdietz@id-pr.com | C: 303-506-2228
Stephen Baruch
E: sbaruch@id-pr.com | C: 631-388-1367