Rebuilding a playground in the Atlanta area to end injustice on the playground
One of Zoom’s four focus areas of social impact is helping young people and students thrive, which is one of Zoom’s key areas of focus. By applying a justice perspective to ensure our efforts reach the most underserved communities across the country, we are empowered to engage our people, products and resources resources to Improving youth education, mental health and life outcomes.
Based on our research so far, we can say that gaming is a very good thing important Part of a child’s intellectual, physical and developmental development. As the impact of the pandemic has become more apparent in recent years – increasing pressure on children and their families – this has only gotten bigger important in view of school and private life being transformed by the epidemic.
For this reason we are very happy about the partnership with KABOOM! ,
A new playground has been built at McCurdy Park in Stone Mountain, Georgia with the help of non-profit organization Beyond Playspace Inequity, which aims to end inequality in playgrounds. A few years ago the original playground at McCurdy Park was destroyed by arson, so Stone Mountain Mayor Beverly Jones has made revitalizing the city one of her top priorities space and Make sure there is a seamless connection between the different parts of the community.
Make an effective contribution to the community
A grant to support KABOOM! was announced by Zoom’s Sales Leadership Team at this year’s Growth Summit. We were able to get a playground project off the ground thanks to Zoom Cares, our social impact arm, who worked with us to make it a reality.
The concept of giving back to the community has been ingrained among Zoom employees for many years, and this felt like a meaningful collective gift on behalf of all Team, “ said Michelle Dotson, Head of Go-To-Market Enablement & Strategy at Zoom. It is our pleasure to work with KABOOM! In this way we can contribute to the development of young people in a community where our contribution will have a tangible impact on the lives of young people.”
The school boards and the representatives of the local community met with Zoom in August to develop a blueprint for the playground. It was with Great Delighted that Stone Mountain elementary school students shared drawings of their dream playgrounds with the project Organizer, so that they could be integrated into the final design of the playground. In addition to community members and parents of children who shared drawings with us, members of the local community also played along important part of the design process.
It was an amazing experience for more than 70 Atlanta-area Zoomies and Stone Mountain volunteers to come together on November 17 to assemble a state-of-the-art playground for the community. The Zoom team also donated Zoom Meeting licenses to the elementary school and funded construction through a charity Donation, to ensure school staff and teachers can use Zoom Meetings year-round.
As part of KABOOM! ‘s nationwide campaign, this project is being carried out across the country. Inequality in gaming needs to be addressed to end it. It is a fact that not all children have access to play opportunities. Due to the lack of adequate play spaces in many communities of color, children are unable to reap the full benefits played can have on their physical, social and emotional health.
“With the playground at McCurdy Park, Stone Mountain’s children have the opportunity to interact with each other and make new friends Learn through play in a fun and engaging environment while developing key social, emotional, cognitive and physical skills,” said Beverly Jones, Mayor of Stone Mountain.
We are really excited about the partnership between Stone Mountain Elementary School and Kaboom and Zoom as Char-Shenda Covington, the school’s principal, expressed her excitement about the partnership between her school and Kaboom and Zoom. In the midst of all this, our community deserves a beacon. We are very fortunate and feel both a way to start the case and a way to build a legacy through our scholars to be grateful able to provide a safe, warm and inclusive playground for our students. The school is committed to the development of the whole child, both inside and outside of the classroom.”
It was an honor for Zoom to be a part of such a great project and we are grateful for the opportunity. Thanks to Mayor Jones, Principal Covington, Stone Mountain Council Member Gil Freeman, KABOOM! Team and all volunteers! I would like to thank everyone on the Zoomies team for their efforts and everyone who put their time into it In the process. I truly hope this will be a place where underserved children can inspire joy and feel a sense of belonging for years to come!
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Here at Zoom, we are committed to taking care of our employees, our customers, our teammates, our communities, and ourselves. As a company, we believe there is an immediate and lasting impact that every business can have on the world and us work diligently to make our impact as positive and effective as possible. With Zoom Cares, we strive to create a society that is fairer for people and for the environment in which we all live.
