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For immediate release: May 19, 2009 CONTACTS: Donna Gaukler, Director, Parks and Recreation, 552-6265; Theresa Cox, A Carousel for Missoula, 549-8382 Help Missoula Become a Playful City USA Missoula Parks and Recreation is leading the charge to have Missoula declared a Playful City USA. Playful City USA is a national recognition program honoring cities and towns across the nation that are creating an agenda for play. It is a program of KaBOOM!, a national nonprofit that empowers communities to build playgrounds. KaBOOM! believes passionately that play has purpose and that unstructured play in particular helps make children happier, smarter, more fit and more socially adept and creative. Playful City USA status will help Missoula improve its ability to raise outside funding and business sector support, receive honors and recognition at national conferences of our peers, gain special incentive opportunities and highway signs, be included in a national media campaign and receive priority status in accessing all KaBOOM! resources. The application process requires the creation of a play committee, the design of an annual action plan for play, an audit of existing play spaces, and several other commitments, all to be completed and compiled into a presentation before June 1, 2009. Parks and Recreation has enlisted the help of many local organizations that provide play opportunities, but we are aware we may have missed some projects. If you know of an existing play space or a planned play space that is not part of the City’s inventory, please e-mail that information to [EMAIL REDACTED]. (Please note that there is no third e in ponykeepr). Include the name and e-mail or phone number for someone who has a significant amount of knowledge about the project. We are also seeking letters of support to accompany our application. If you are willing to provide a letter of support for Missoula’s application to be a Playful City USA, please e-mail [EMAIL REDACTED] for more information. You may also find information at http://KaBOOM.org/playfulcityusa. Your information must reach us no later than Tuesday, May 26, to be included in the application. #