VICTORVILLE Calif. (Aug 14, 2017) – Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS) and national non-profit KaBOOM! awarded The City of Victorville a $15,000 Let’s Play Community Construction Grant that will be used to build a new playground at Schmidt Park.
The grant is part of Let’s Play, an initiative by DPS to provide kids and families with the tools, places and inspiration to make active play a daily priority. Unstructured, child-directed play has proven to help kids develop physically, emotionally, socially and intellectually, yet today’s kids have less time and fewer opportunities to play than any previous generation. As a result of Let’s Play grants and projects, more than 6.5 million kids will benefit from new or improved playgrounds around the nation by the end of 2020.
“Park playgrounds are a key element in keeping our children active and healthy” said Janie Lynch, Recreation Manager for the City of Victorville. “The benefits are endless when kids have a safe place to play”.
Funding from KaBOOM! and Dr Pepper Snapple Group will be used to construct a new playground at Schmidt Park, one of the oldest parks in Victorville. The existing apparatus is decades old and in need of replacement. More than 3,000 people visit Schmidt Park each month, and the majority of the visitors are children. The new playground will provide a place for them to play that is fun, inviting, and accessible.
Dr Pepper Snapple has committed more than $35.5 million to Let’s Play through 2019, impacting youth-serving organizations across the U.S., as well as Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Through Let’s Play, Dr Pepper Snapple partners with two non-profit organizations, KaBOOM! and Good Sports, to build and improve playgrounds in underserved communities and provide grants for sports equipment. In this way, Dr Pepper Snapple is doing our part to help eliminate the play deficit by making active play possible for more kids.
Since its launch in 2011, Let’s Play has provided more than 10 million children with more opportunities to play via safe, accessible playgrounds and sports equipment. Moreover, by 2020 we will have engaged more than 80,000 volunteers from Dr Pepper Snapple, our partners and our communities in this effort.
Visit Let’s Play at www.LetsPlay.com to join the conversation and learn how to apply for the various available grants to make communities more active and playful.
Schmidt Park is located within the former George Air Force Base at 13576 Mustang Street near the intersection of Air Expressway and George Blvd.
(City of Victorville news release)
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