Sen. Collins, 250 Volunteers Celebrate 100th New Playground

 SPRINGFIELD, IL – State Senator Jacqueline Y. Collins (D-16^th) joined with 250 volunteers and BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois at last Saturday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony for a playground built in a day. The playground, the one hundredth installed in Chicago by KaBOOM!, will give children attending before- and after-school programs at Auburn-Gresham’s Lots of Love Community Center a safe place for unstructured physical activity and imaginative play.

KaBOOM! works with community stakeholders and businesses like BlueCross, which donated the Lots of Love playground, to bring playgrounds to places where children have few opportunities for outdoor recreation. The building process, described as an “urban barn-raising,” brings together hundreds of local volunteers, community leaders and employees of generous businesses to install the playground in about six hours.

“I am so pleased to see children playing on Chicago’s 100^th KaBOOM! playground at Lots of Love Community Center,” Sen. Collins said. “Having the freedom to exercise and just be a child is very important to the young people of Auburn-Gresham and other inner-city neighborhoods. We are grateful to BlueCross BlueShield for making a donation that will continue to enhance our community for years to come.”