September 30, 2025
In just one day this Friday, October 3, volunteers are building an entire playground from the ground up at the Thomas P. Ryan Recreation Center. Healthi Kids, the City of Rochester, Sierra, and KABOOM! are teaming up for this one-day community build—and it's not just any playground. This one was designed by the kids and caregivers from our community.
Over the summer, KABOOM! held design workshops at the Ryan R-Center where local children and community members shared their ideas and drawings of their dream playspaces. Those ideas are now becoming reality. This project is the first local build of KABOOM!'s 25 in 5 Initiative, a nationwide effort to end playspace inequity: The truth is that too many children, especially children of color, don't have access to quality playgrounds in their neighborhoods. Every child deserves a safe place to play, and this new playground is an important step toward making that happen in the neighborhood around the Ryan R-Center.
On Friday, volunteers will spend the day building the playground, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring Mayor Malik D. Evans at 3:00 p.m.