school playgrounds

Anne and Kirk Douglas Playgrounds

When Anne Douglas saw the deplorable conditions of the school playgrounds in the Los Angeles area, she knew that she had to do something to help. So, in an effort to revitalize the playgrounds, she, along with her husband Kirk, funded a $1 million contribution to the Anne and Kirk Douglas Playground Award. They started this grant program in 1997 with the help of Anita May Rosenstein through the Wilbur May Foundation, The Annenberg Foundation, and Richard Riordan, a former mayor of Los Angeles, through the Riordan Foundation. Together, they have restored and dedicated over 400 school playgrounds in the Los Angeles area.

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Out2Play

Out2Play

Out2Play is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing safe, welcoming play spaces for every elementary school in the five boroughs of New York City that needs one. Andrea Wenner saw the need when in 2001 she noticed that the elementary school near her apartment did not have a playground. Four years later as a student at Columbia Business School, Andrea created a business plan for an assignment to provide playgrounds to schools. Her professor suggested she follow through with the plan and assisted in securing funding for her first playground.1

  • 1. “Real American Heroes: Helping Kids Be More Active, Andrea Wenner.” Shape. November 2010. < http://www.out2play.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/11-2010-Shape.pdf > 30 Sep. 2011.
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