PLAYGROUNDS
Play Everywhere Challenge Aims to Create Healthier, Kid-friendly Cities
The Play Everywhere Challenge — a national competition
that will award $1 million in prizes — was announced
recently by KaBOOM!, a non-profit dedicated to giving all
kids, particularly those growing up in poverty in America, the
childhood they deserve, filled with balanced and active play.
The Challenge, developed in collaboration with Playworld Systems, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and Target Corp., will reward applicants who provide communitydriven solutions that integrate play into everyday life and unexpected places — sidewalks, vacant lots, bus stops, open streets and beyond. The goal is to find the best replicable, scalable innovations in city redevelopment and design that help make play easy, available and fun for kids and families.
“Play is not only critical to child development, it is the very essence of childhood, ” said James Siegal, CEO of KaBOOM!. “The Play Everywhere Challenge puts kids first by re-imagining cities with kids in mind and ensuring they get the childhood they deserve filled with play.”
“Designing innovative, boundary-pushing play equipment and believing in the transformative power of play are central to who we are as a company,” added Matthew Miller, chief executive officer of Playworld. “We welcome this opportunity to collaborate with KaBOOM! and help showcase the passion in this country for creating healthier, more playful environments for children.” ...
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OUTDOOR FITNESS AND SURFACING
Outdoor Warrior
Training and Testing
Facility Opens at USAG-Miami
USAG-Miami, in Doral, Fla., home to the U.S.
Southern Command and Marine Corps Forces
South, recently celebrated the opening of
its new Warrior Training and Testing Facility,
which provides the entire garrison community
with a new 1/8-mile all-purpose Mondo track,
covered training and fitness areas, and structured
and tailored programs and equipment to meet
the needs of service members, family members
and retirees.
The project consisted of four separate designbuild projects: two fitness shelters, a 3-lane 1/8- mile running track, a 170-ft training surface, and an equipment storage building. Total cost for the projects was $1,289,700, and the facility was completed on Nov. 2, 2015.
According to USAG-Miami Recreation Specialist Program Manager Jill Hauser, the idea for the project came from Lt. Gen. Mark C. Nowland, USAF, who was chief of staff at USAG-Miami from June 2013 to December 2014.
“Lt. Gen. Nowland was one of our customers, and when he would be outside in the parking lot with us doing workouts, he kept saying, ‘We need a real facility for everyone to be able to get fit out here,’ ” said Hauser. “So Lt. Gen. Nowland is really the one who got the ball rolling for our Warrior Training and Testing Facility, as he wanted each service to be able to do its fitness testing on this installation. Before this facility was built, everything had to be done with the city of Doral, at their park across the street. So he really pushed so PT testing could be done here. ” ...
Read more OUTDOOR WARRIOR TRAINING AND TESTING FACILITY OPENS AT USAG-MIAMI ...
VETERAN AFFAIRS
Ann Arbor, Mich, VA: Innovators in
Physical
and Aquatic
Therapy
The physical and aquatic therapy programs
and services at the Ann Arbor VA Healthcare
System, Mich., and at its Toledo, Ohio,
Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC),
are making a difference in the lives of veterans,
providing a path to healing that includes a support
network of caring and experienced therapists
and medical professionals.
Gessie Limber, who has been working as a physical therapist at the VA Toledo Community Based Outpatient Clinic for the past six years, explained that each veteran is scheduled for an initial evaluation by a licensed physical therapist.
“At this appointment, we collect the veteran’s medical history and also a description of his/her current problem — back pain, knee replacement, stroke, or balance impairment, for example, ” said Limber, who has a master’s degree in physical therapy from the University of Toledo, and is certified in trigger point dry needling. “Depending on what we are seeing each veteran for, we may use a standardized test to assess their strength, range of motion, joint mobility, balance, tolerance to activity, coordination, or reflexes. We also perform a variety of special tests in order to help assess his/her impairment. In addition, we provide cardiac and pulmonary rehab programs. ” ...
Read more ANN ARBOR, MICH, VA: INNOVATORS IN PHYSICAL AND AQUATIC THERAPY ...