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Partnership with Over 800 Employee Volunteers Continues to Provide
Thousands of Children with Safe Play Spaces, Strengthening Their Healthy
Start to Life
NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) today announced a new grant to KaBOOM!, a
national non-profit dedicated to ensuring that all kids get a childhood
filled with the balanced and active play needed to thrive. The two-year
Morgan Stanley Foundation grant is a continuation of Morgan Stanley’s
long-standing partnership with KaBOOM!, which has already led to the
creation of 20 playgrounds, serving more than 9,500 kids around the
country.
With this new grant, Morgan Stanley volunteers and KaBOOM! partners will
work together to create 21 new play spaces for children, more than
doubling the existing play spaces already created in efforts with Morgan
Stanley employees. Five of these play spaces will be physical
playgrounds built in cities across the United States. The remaining 16
will be creative play grants for Imagination Playgrounds and Rigamajig
units, which allow for year-round activity in areas with limited space
or inclement weather. These new play spaces will involve the collective
effort of over 850 Morgan Stanley employee volunteers and will benefit
an estimated 36,500 children living in underserved communities.
“Play is crucial to a child’s emotional, physical, and intellectual
development, and we are proud to build upon our already successful
partnership with KaBOOM!, expanding access to free, public play spaces
for children everywhere,” said Joan Steinberg, Global Head of
Philanthropy at Morgan Stanley. “For more than 50 years, the Morgan
Stanley Foundation has supported healthy starts and solid educations for
the children in our communities, and it’s inspiring to see our nonprofit
partners and employee volunteers collaborate to have a tangible impact
on children’s health and well-being.”
“Play is critical for kids to grow up happy, healthy and resilient, yet
far too many kids are missing out on a chance to play,” said Lysa
Ratliff, Vice President of Partnership Development, KaBOOM!. “Through
our longtime partnership with Morgan Stanley, spaces are created so that
more kids have the opportunity to get the play they need to thrive in
life. We are grateful for their commitment to all kids getting the
childhood they deserve through play.”
Where space is limited, creative play products allow for play to take
place in the classroom, gymnasium, recreation centers, and beyond.
Imagination Playground and Rigamajig encourage free play, creativity,
communication and collaboration.
Imagination Playground is an innovative play system that encourages
creativity, communication and collaboration in play. With a collection
of custom-designed, oversized blue foam shapes, Imagination Playground
provides a changing array of elements that allow kids to create a
playspace that is constantly built and re-built by their imagination.
Rigamajig is a large-scale building kit filled with wooden plants,
wheels, pulleys, nuts, bolts and rope that enhances STE(A)M learning and
allows children to actively play and create. Rigamajig allows children
to develop language, communication and problem solving skills that are
key to cognitive development.
Morgan Stanley is a leading global financial services firm providing
investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment
management services. With offices in more than 41 countries, the Firm’s
employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments,
institutions and individuals. For more information about Morgan Stanley,
please visit www.morganstanley.com.
Contacts
Media Relations:
Katherine Stueber, 212-761-1349
[email protected]
