NY Islanders build kid-designed playground at Cross Island YMCA in Queens
The project brought together the Islanders Children's Foundation, the YMCA of Greater New York and the national nonprofit KABOOM! to construct a community-built playground at the YMCA's Hillside Avenue location.
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New York Islanders players, team staff and community volunteers joined forces Wednesday to build a new playground at the Cross Island YMCA, creating a play space designed by the children who will use it.
The project brought together the Islanders Children's Foundation, the YMCA of Greater New York and the national nonprofit KABOOM! to construct a community-built playground at the YMCA's Hillside Avenue location.
"We're here at the Cross Island YMCA representing the Islanders Children's Foundation, partnering up with KABOOM! and building a playground for the local community," Islanders forward Kyle Palmieri said.
Islanders players traded hockey gear for construction tools as they worked alongside volunteers to assemble the new playground. Palmieri, Bo Horvat, Ryan Pulock, Adam Pelech, JG Pageau and Kyle MacLean were among the players who participated in the build.
Kelly Cheeseman, the Islanders’ president of Business Operations, said the project gave employees and players an opportunity to come together while making a meaningful impact in the community.
"[It] helps us come together as a group, bond a little bit, make a real impact and do something that we don't usually have the time to do all together, and it means a lot to us," Cheeseman said.
The playground's design was shaped directly by local children. In June, youngsters from the Cross Island YMCA shared drawings and ideas for their dream playground with project organizers and Islanders mascot Sparky. Those ideas were incorporated into the final design.
Kathryn Lusk, senior director of field operations for KABOOM!, said the children's feedback played a major role in the finished play-space.
"The reason that there are multiple slides and swings and a really cool spinner on this playground is because that's what the kids asked for," Lusk said.
The playground, which was completed Wednesday afternoon with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, is decked out in the Islanders' colors of blue, orange, and white as well as the team's logo and other imagery.
Organizers said the new playground is intended to provide children with a safe place to play, learn and connect. The project is part of a broader effort by KABOOM! to expand access to quality play spaces and address playground inequities in communities across the country.
"This is the power of volunteerism in action and for a cause for the community and for youth and families to enjoy for years to come," said John Jopek, executive director of the Cross Island YMCA.
According to organizers, the project was months in the making and will provide a modern play-space for thousands of children who visit the Cross Island YMCA each year.
For the Islanders, whose home rink at UBS Arena is just minutes away, the build also served as an opportunity to strengthen ties with the surrounding community.
"As hockey players in our community, you want to make sure you ingrain yourself and give back to your fans and the people who come out and support us as a team," Palmieri said. "This is our opportunity to support our community."
