KaBOOM! is a national nonprofit that envisions a great
place to play within walking distance of every child in America. KaBOOM!
recognizes the impact of unstructured play on the health and well-being of
children and seeks to create opportunities to provide children with access to
safe and engaging places to play. The KaBOOM! and Medical Reserve Corps (MRC)
missions are very complementary, and you may recall our office teamed with the
organization last summer to build a playground at the Children’s Inn on the NIH
campus.
KaBOOM! recognizes the importance of creating playspaces,
but also wants to determine the quality of existing ones. The existence of a
playspace does not necessarily mean it is a viable place for play. To help with
this assessment, KaBOOM! developed the Map of Play web site.
MRC volunteers can help by identifying and assessing
playgrounds in their communities by utilizing the Map of Play. KaBOOM! has
developed a special “team” link for MRC volunteers to sign up.
We encourage all MRC units to participate in this
initiative and share the special link established for the MRC (http://mapofplay.kaboom.org/teams/register?token=c4db422de5ff9150a)
with your volunteers. Your support can help to ensure that children in your
communities have the opportunity to be healthier by having safe places for
active play.
Below are instructions for joining the MRC Team on the
KaBOOM! Map of Play web site:
1. Go to http://mapofplay.kaboom.org/teams/register?token=c4db422de5ff9150a.
This is a special link for MRC members.
2. Sign in to
your KaBOOM! account or create a new one.
3. After
you’ve signed in/signed up, click the Join the Team button.
4. Each time
you add or edit a playspace, the team can see your collective efforts in the
stats area at the top of the team page. You can see your team’s progress at any
time by visiting your profile page or the MRC team page (http://mapofplay.kaboom.org/teams/2).
Note that the Map of Play is accessible from mobile
devices. If you encounter a problem or need help, you can contact KaBOOM! by
visiting http://mapofplay.kaboom.org/help.
We encourage all of you – MRC leaders, volunteers and
partners – to explore your community (preferably by walking or biking) and
learn about its playspaces. If the playspace is already listed on the Map of
Play, rate it or provide comments about it. If not, take pictures and share
information about it through the Map of Play.
Division of the Civilian Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps
The Tower Building
1101 Wootton Parkway, Room 181
Rockville, MD 20852
240-453-2839 (Office)
240-453-6109 (Fax)
