Play Heals

Play has a way of bringing out the best in people. It strengthens communities, and sometimes it brings about a much-needed healing. In the Franklin Square community of West Baltimore, volunteers recently completed the development of a new park. Kirby Lane park, as it is now known, is a community gathering space and a part of an ongoing project to revitalize Baltimore neighborhoods.

(Above) Rendering of the proposed playground at Kirby Lane Park in the Franklin Square community of Baltimore

(Below) Volunteers put on the final touches of the completed playground before the grand opening

The park includes a new playground made possible by Cunningham Recreation and their Healing Communities Through Play program. Cunningham Recreation is the exclusive representative of GameTime in the Baltimore area, and they worked with the Parks and People Foundation, community leaders and families to create a fun place for children and families to be active together.  

Lowell Melser of NBC affiliate WBAL was on hand at the grand opening of the new playground at Kirby Lane Park

Projects like this serve a deeper purpose than just building a playground. They affect social change and promote unity. "The work accomplished through the Healing Communities Through Play program addresses the need to change the narrative of how groups see one another," said Victoria Babb, Resource Director with Play4All/Cunningham Recreation. "It helps to rebuild trust, foster community cohesiveness, embrace fellowship, and allows groups to share a common goal to create safer neighborhoods. Humanizing is a step towards harmonizing communities, deterring violence and generating greater respect for one another"

"Where two vacant houses once stood, now a playground is being built. This will become truly the center of the community here, something positive for people to focus their efforts around," said Steve Preston, of the Parks and People Foundation.

Cunningham Recreation set a goal to complete the playground in eight hours. Volunteers achieved the eight hour goal, but they created something that will have an impact in the community for years to come.

About GameTime: GameTime is a leading manufacturer of inclusive playgrounds, custom play spaces and outdoor fitness equipment. Headquartered in Fort Payne, Alabama, and with distribution around the world, our products combine play research with thoughtful design to create play and recreation spaces for people of all ages and abilities. We bring together the right corporate, civic and nonprofit partners to build healthy, active communities that make the world a better place for children and families.

About Cunningham Recreation: Cunningham Recreation has been providing commercial playground equipment and park products since 1966. From neighborhoods to municipal parks, we've built thousands of playgrounds for children of all ages and all abilities. We partner with municipalities, schools, architects and youth organizations to plan, design and build their vision from the ground-up. Through their innovative Play4All and Healing Communities Through Play campaigns, Cunningham Recreation assists communities in building awareness and capacity for neighborhood play projects. Learn more at cunninghamrec.com and play4allcampaign.com.

About Parks and People Foundation: Our vision is to unite Baltimore by ensuring that everyone is connected to nature through vibrant open and accessible green spaces. In fact, we’ve been making this happen, neighborhood by neighborhood, one park and one person at a time, for 30 years. Learn more at parksandpeople.org.