Canadian Tire Jumpstart Brings Inclusive Play to Mundy Pond Park
In partnership with the City of St. John’s, Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities announced today plans to build a universally accessible playground in Mundy Pond Park. The playground structure will be a gift from Jumpstart to the City of St. John’s as part of the Charity’s Inclusive Play Project, which focuses on removing accessibility barriers to sport and recreation.
“We are grateful to partner with Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities to provide this gift to the children and youth of our city,” said Mayor Danny Breen. “This announcement for a new accessible and inclusive playground aligns well with our strategic goal to increase and improve opportunities for residents to connect with each other and the City. The playground will be a great asset to the community and will provide children of all ages and abilities with more opportunities to play together.”
“Jumpstart is pleased to partner with the City of St. John’s to provide an innovative, inclusive play space for this community,” said Scott Fraser, President, Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities. “The Jumpstart Playground will allow more people to enjoy Mundy Pond Park by giving kids of all abilities the opportunity to play outside together.”
Mundy Pond Park is currently home to a softball field, small playground, skate park, dog park, soccer pitch, and a network of public walking trails. At up to 11,000 square feet, the new inclusive playground will further enhance the park as a destination for outdoor recreation by providing imaginative and accessible spaces where children of all abilities can play together. It will be the eighth playground built in Canada with the help of Jumpstart funding. Today’s announcement follows the construction of playgrounds in Charlottetown, Toronto, Winnipeg, Prince Albert, and Calgary last year, with construction in Saint John and Surrey currently underway.
The costs associated with playground equipment and rubber surfacing, valued at approximately $1 million, will be funded by Jumpstart, with the City of St. John’s providing the land and covering the costs associated with site preparation and remediation. Sample 3D rendering images of the Jumpstart Playground can be viewed here.
Through a five-year, $50 million fundraising commitment from Canadian Tire Corporation, Jumpstart’s Inclusive Play Project is helping Canadian kids overcome physical barriers to sport and recreation. In addition to building universally accessible playgrounds, Jumpstart supports accessible programming and infrastructure across Canada through Jumpstart Accessibility Grants and the Para Sport Jumpstart Fund.
About Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities
Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities is a national charity dedicated to helping kids overcome financial and accessibility barriers to sport and recreation in an effort to provide inclusive play for kids of all abilities. With an extensive, national network of more than 1,000 grantees and 289 local chapters, Jumpstart helps eligible families cover the costs of registration, transportation, and equipment, and provides funding to selected organizations for recreational infrastructure and programming. Supported by the Government of Canada through Sport Canada and the Canadian Tire Family of Companies, Jumpstart has provided more than two million opportunities for Canadian kids to get in the game since 2005. For more information, visit jumpstart.canadiantire.ca.
Follow Jumpstart on Twitter and Facebook to learn about how the charity is giving kids across Canada a sporting chance.
For more information:
Kelly Maguire
Media Relations
City of St. John’s
709-576-8491
kmaguire@stjohns.ca
Jennifer Chappell
Communications
Canadian Tire Corporation
416-480-3180
Jennifer.chappell@cantire.com