Philadelphia Flyers Alumni and Staff Build a Community Playground

On Friday, September 28, 2012, Philadelphia Flyers alumni and staff were joined by volunteers from Wells Fargo, Fairmount Park Conservancy, Impact Services Corporation and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, along with organizers from KaBOOM!, to erect a playground that was designed by children of the community. More than 200 volunteers gathered at McPherson Square Park in North Philadelphia to build a new playground in just six hours. 

This was just one stop on a tour — a tour that has built 2,175 playgrounds so far for the organization KaBOOM!, whose mission is dedicated to saving play for youth. The non-profit is on its way to building 150 playgrounds across the country in 2012. 

"Only one in five children have a place to play within walking distance of their home, so we’re bringing a place for them to play in Kensington," says Karcsh. 

Former Flyers captain and Player Development Coach Derian Hatcher stopped by to swing the hammer along with Flyers alumnus Bob "the Hound" Kelly, who mixed the cement for the playground. 

"For this particular part of the neighborhood, which we call the heart of Kensington, we could not do this without the help of private partners, the Department of Recreation and the City," said Councilwoman in the seventh district María Quiñones-Sánchez. "We understand that visually this is only the beginning, but we hope a lot of people here will be inspired with the fact that people care." 

Six organizations, over 200 volunteers, 10 park benches and nine picnic tables were among the pieces that came together to build a brand new, one-of-a-kind recreation area that gives hundreds of children in this community a place to play. The hope is that this playground will provide a safe haven for kids to play and be physically active. And even greater, that this effort serves as a catalyst for an even brighter future for the children of this community.