BURLINGTON, NC— The City of Burlington Recreation & Parks Department, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC), and KABOOM!, a national non-profit focused on building safe, secure, and inclusive play spaces, are teaming up to build a new community-designed, inclusive playground in Burlington’s City Park. The playground is part of an effort to increase access to safe play spaces, which lays the foundation for a healthier childhood.

KABOOM! and the City of Burlington sought input from community members to help choose play features for the playground. The goal of these input sessions was to ensure that the playground meets the specific needs of kids in the Burlington community. In addition to ramp access and grab bars, the accessible play features selected include a Sway Fun Glider, a Ring-a-Bell Reach Panel, and a Navigator Reach Panel.  

On August 23, more than 120 Blue Cross NC employees will come to  City Park and volunteer their time for a playground Build Day Celebration. They’ll join Burlington Recreation & Parks staff, the KABOOM! Team, and volunteers from the community to put the finishing touches on the new inclusive playground and the new plantings that will surround it.  

After a full day of work, the main components of the playground and plantings will be in place. State and local elected officials have accepted invitations to join the build crews to celebrate the teamwork and collective effort that will provide many more children with access to a fun, exciting, and safe place to play.

Following the installation, the playground surface material will require time to cure, and a new sidewalk from the Thataways parking lot to the site will be constructed to meet current ADA requirements. Once complete, a Grand Opening will be held to celebrate the completion of the project. Once that date is set, the City of Burlington will send out a second media release with the details.

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina 

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC), the leading not-for-profit health plan in North Carolina, is committed to making health care more affordable, easier to navigate and accessible for all. Since 1933, the health insurer has created programs and initiatives to provide North Carolinians the opportunity to be healthy. Blue Cross NC serves its customers and communities of more than 4.2 million members, including approximately 1.1 million on behalf of other Blue Plans. Blue Cross NC is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Visit Blue Cross NC online at www.bluecrossnc.com. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. 

About KABOOM!

KABOOM! is the national nonprofit committed to ending playspace inequity – the reality that quality places to play are not available to every child, especially in communities of color. Since 1996, KABOOM! has partnered with kids and communities to build or improve 17,000+ playspaces and ensure that nearly 12 million kids have equitable access to the crucial benefits and opportunities that playspaces offer. In 2022, KABOOM! launched the 25 in 5 Initiative to End Playspace Inequity to accelerate its mission in 25 high-priority locations over five years. Learn more at kaboom.org or join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.