More than 250 volunteers joined forces to build a multigenerational playground in six hours in Portland, Ore., on Sept. 22 as Humana and KaBOOM! kicked off their second annual fall playground tour in which they will build nine playgrounds in nine cities over the next nine weeks.

Residents of Gateway Park Apartments in northeast Portland had met weeks before to provide input and help design their new 1,710-square-foot playground, which features fitness stations, traditional kid-friendly equipment, walking paths and adult/senior stretch stations.

The playground will give children in this apartment community –who had been playing in a parking lot –a safe space to play. It also gives adults in the apartments a place to exercise.

The Portland playground is now included on a growing list of play spaces that Humana and KaBOOM! are building across the county. The playgrounds promote healthy play for people of all ages, but they also help families reconnect and create memories. Enthusiasm for these neighborhood legacies continues long after the day of the build.

“My family and I have continued to use this playground week after week since it was built last fall,” said Dorothy Jackson, of Midway, Fla., who frequents a playground Humana and KaBOOM! built last fall in Orlando, Fla. “The equipment has given me a reason to stay active and a safe place to play with my grandchildren—I love it!”

In addition to Portland, playgrounds will be built in Milwaukee, Wis.; Cleveland, Ohio; Des Moines, Iowa; South Charleston, W.Va.; Springfield, Mo.; Huntsville, Ala.; Baton Rouge, La., and Phoenix, Ariz. from Sept. 22 through Nov. 17.

Based in part on the success of their 2011 campaign—building eight playgrounds in eight cities in eight weeks—Humana and The Humana Foundation recently entered into a three-year alliance with KaBOOM!, running from 2012 through 2014. As part of the alliance, Humana, The Humana Foundation and KaBOOM! are now teaming up to build more than 50 playgrounds across the United States over a four-year time frame.

Additionally, The Humana Foundation is also sponsoring the KaBOOM! Playful City USA initiative, a program honoring cities and towns that make play a priority and use innovative approaches to get children active, playing, and healthy.

Related Videos and Articles

• In this video, the residents of the desert community of Thermal, Calif., who named their playground Mirage, explain what it means to them and how it helps build hope for healthier, happier days ahead.
• “Humana leaves a legacy in Charlotte, Tampa”: Humana and KaBOOM! built multigenerational playgrounds in the two host cities for the 2012 political conventions.
• This AARP blog, “The Shape of Things to Come: Adult Playground,” discusses the many benefits of the multigenerational playgrounds.

On the first full day of activity at the Republican National Convention, Humana’s Freewheelin project is up and rolling in Tampa.

Watch brief video stories about Humana donating some of the “bus-cycles” to the Tampa community after the conventions, about the program getting underway, and about the impact Tropical Storm Isaac had on Freewheelin over the past two days. It’s all on our Freewheelin YouTube channel.

Related resources

• Freewheelin Facebook
• Freewheelin website
• Freewheelin Twitter
• Freewheelin Flickr
• Freewheelin Fact Sheet
• Freewheelin at the conventions: How It Works
• Pedaling Toward Better Health: Humana to Provide Freewheelin Pedal Buses at 2012 Republican and Democratic National Conventions
• Humana leaves legacy in Charlotte, Tampa

Residents of Tampa, Fla., and Charlotte, N.C., are designing their own unique multigenerational playgrounds, which will be built in conjunction with the Republican and Democratic national political conventions that will be held in those two cities this summer.

The playgrounds are part of a continuing partnership between Humana and the nonprofit organization KaBOOM!, to create neighborhood legacies that promote healthy play and well-being. Each playground has senior and adult-focused elements, such as fitness stations to promote good posture, balance and flexibility, as well as traditional kid-friendly equipment and areas where families can gather for picnics and reunions.

The first step in each of the playground builds is to bring children, seniors and other community members together to compile a wish list and design the elements that will make the space unique and best-suited to their own needs.

Tonja Wilson and her daughter Sarayah participated in Charlotte’s design day on June 12. “This park means a great deal to me because my family will be part of the hands-on experience,” said Wilson. “My daughter will be able to look back one day and show her children what a great project she was part of. This project is a great deal to the kids and seniors. It will be something that they will be proud of for the rest of their lives and to call their own.”

Carmen Fowler, community manager of The Village of Rosedale, where the Charlotte playground will be built on Aug. 4, said the close-knit community often holds social events. “The residents are excited for an area they can all enjoy as a family together,” she said. “The playground will be a wonderful addition.”

Tampa residents met on May 31 to design their customized playground, which will be built Aug. 11 at the Ragan Park Community Center in advance of the Republican National Convention, which will be held Aug. 27-30. The Democratic National Convention will be held Sept. 3-6 in Charlotte.

In addition to the playground builds, Humana is excited to be working in Tampa with the Republican National Convention, Host Committee team and Mayor Bob Buckhorn, as well as in Charlotte with the Democratic National Convention, Host Committee team and Mayor Anthony Foxx, to bring a new version of Humana’s Freewheelin’ program to the 2012 national political conventions. After plans are finalized with each city, Humana will announce details about the program, describing how convention visitors and local residents will be able to have fun, exercise and get around each downtown during the conventions utilizing the Humana Freewheelin’ program.

Related Videos

• Volunteers from Humana, KaBOOM! and the local community team up to build a multigenerational playground in Metairie, La.
• In this video, the residents of the desert community of Thermal, Calif., who named their playground Mirage, explain what it means to them and how it helps build hope for healthier, happier days ahead.
• This playground in Sanford, Fla., gives Midway Safe Harbor Community Center, a new way to actively demonstrate the benefits of an active lifestyle.