Camp Bennett Awarded

Washington, DC–February 23, 2017 – Target and national non-profit KaBOOM! awarded Central Union Mission an Imagination Playground play system to use at the Mission’s Camp Bennett in Brookeville, MD, a free sleep-away summer camp for inner-city children from the Washington, DC, metropolitan area.

KaBOOM!, the national non-profit dedicated to giving kids the childhood they deserve through play, is working with Target to increase access to play across the country. Grants for Imagination Playgrounds are helping to achieve that goal by bringing active play to more than 430,000 kids across the country.

Imagination Playground in a Cart™ is an innovative design in play equipment that encourages creativity, communication and collaboration in play. With a collection of custom-designed, oversized blue foam parts, Imagination PlaygroundTM provides a changing array of elements that allow children to turn their playground into a space constantly built and re-built by their imagination.

“Because our campers often have some lags in learning, we look for every creative experience we can to enhance their stay at Camp Bennett. Imagination Playground is a larger-than-life-sized foam block system that encourages kids’ problem-solving, teamwork and, of course, climbing,” describes David Treadwell, Mission executive director. “It’s perfect for rainy days in our gymnasium, and it will also be available to youth and community groups who host retreats at Camp Bennett.”

Started as a ministry of Central Union Mission in the 1940s, Camp Bennett provides a free week-long summer camp for children from families who could not otherwise afford camp. For many, this is their first time away from home, where they can make new friends and experience the wooded Maryland countryside. Children enjoy camp activities like swimming, a ropes course, crafts and bonfires along with the silly games and compassionate guidance of their college-age counselors. Central Union Mission’s generous donors sponsor these lasting memories for needy children.

Unstructured, child-directed play has proven to help kids develop physically, emotionally, socially and intellectually, yet today’s kids have less time and fewer opportunities to play than any previous generation. The grant is part of Target’s ongoing efforts to help make wellness more affordable, accessible and inspirational for its team members, guests and communities.

About Central Union Mission
Founded in 1884, Central Union Mission is a faith-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a homeless shelter located at 65 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC, 20001 (www.missiondc.org). In addition to its emergency shelter program, the Mission operates rehabilitative and job training programs for men, a food pantry and clothing and furniture distribution center for families, programs and support for senior citizens, as well as Camp Bennett, a retreat and recreation center with its camp for underprivileged children.

About Target
Minneapolis-based Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) serves guests at 1,792 stores and at Target.com. Since 1946, Target has given 5 percent of its profit to communities, which today equals more than $4 million a week. For a behind-the-scenes look at Target, visit Target.com/abullseyeview or follow @TargetNews on Twitter.

About KaBOOM!
KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated to bringing balanced and active play into the daily lives of all kids, particularly those growing up in poverty in America. Since 1996, KaBOOM! has collaborated with partners to build, open or improve nearly 16,000 playgrounds, engaged more than 1 million volunteers and served 7.4 million children. KaBOOM! creates great places to play, inspires communities to promote and support play, and works to drive the national discussion about the importance of play in fostering healthy lives and communities. To learn why #playmatters: visit Kaboom or join the conversation on Twitter or Facebook.

For Immediate Release
May 25, 2017

Contact: Deborah Chambers
Mission Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships and Community Outreach
Cell: 202-534-9965
dchambers@missiondc.org

Lucy Nutting
KaBOOM!
202-464-6195
LNutting@kaboom.org