Playtime came to Huntington Beach, CA, as Yokohama Tire teamed with local partners and volunteers to build a new KaBOOM! playground at Oak View Park on February 27.
More than 2,500 local kids will benefit as approximately 250 volunteers from Yokohama, the City of Huntington Beach, Children’s Bureau and KaBOOM!, worked together to build the brand-new, eco-friendly playground in one day.
“A dream became a reality for thousands of happy kids,” says Alan Holtschneider, Director of Marketing at Yokohama. “For years to come, the new playground will be a fun, safe play area for children and their parents.” 
“It’s great to see the community come together for this extraordinary project that will benefit thousands of children of Huntington Beach,” says Erik Peterson, Mayor of Huntington Beach. “Many thanks to Yokohama Tire, Children’s Bureau and KaBOOM! for building this spectacular playground. The kids will love it.”
“The collective energy that went into making this playground possible is what makes it so special,” says Ron Brown, President & CEO of Children’s Bureau. “It is a true testament of what a united community can accomplish. Because of everyone’s tremendous efforts, the young Huntington Beach community now has a place to call their own.”
Highlights of the playground build included the installation of new, brightly colored, environmentally safe “Cradle-to-Cradle”-certified playground equipment. Yokohama and KaBOOM! met with local parents and their children in January for “Design Day,” to help create the playground’s look and to pick out color schemes and equipment.
“It was fun to see what the kids came up with,’” Holtschneider says. “Several of their ideas and equipment choices made it into the final design.”
This was the fourth playground collaboration with Yokohama and KaBOOM! – the national non-profit dedicated to ensuring that all kids get a childhood filled with the balanced and active play needed to thrive. The first three were built in San Juan Capistrano, CA; Rockland, MA; and West Point, MS.
“Thanks to Yokohama Tire Corporation, the City of Huntington Beach and Children’s Bureau, several hundreds of kids now have a great, safe place to play,” says Lysa Ratliff, Vice President, Partnership Development of KaBOOM!. “We’re so glad that KaBOOM! was once again able to help provide a playspace where these kids can just be kids.”
