Just a couple of miles from the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim is Julianna Park. On Friday, it was bustling with over 300 volunteers from the Disneyland Resort, KaBOOM!, and the Anaheim Family YMCA. They were on hand to build a playground about six hours for the local children. This playground is extra special as kids in the community were asked to dream up the perfect playground. It was their drawings that served as the inspiration for the design of the playground, which will serve about 1,500 kids in the neighborhood.
Dozens of Disneyland Resort executives, Disneyland Resort cast members and college program students shuttled over from the resort to participate in the build. Cast Members from SALUTE, a Disney resource program that supports veterans as they transition into new careers, were also there to help with the build. This is the 12th KaBOOM! playground sponsored by Disney and built in Anaheim. In 2016, Disney made a commitment to build five more playgrounds, and this was the last playground of that commitment.
The build started about 8:30 am and was completed around 2:30 pm. In addition to the playground, volunteers built planters and painted canvases and the surrounding walls the 300th Army Band entertained the volunteers throughout the day, which added an extra fun element to the excitement. At the end of the day, members from KaBOOM!, the Anaheim Family YMCA, City of Anaheim, and Disney. A special appearance was made by Mickey and Minnie Mouse to help with the ribbon-cutting.
I had a wonderful time watching this all unfold. The volunteers had a blast and they were so much fun to watch during the build. They clearly enjoyed being a part of this day and working with hundreds of others toward the same goal. Some local kids were also there throughout the day and were excited about their new place to play. A few helped out with the ribbon cutting as well.
Enjoy a look at the events of the day and some photos of the new playground!
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