Delta Air Lines : volunteers build first KaBOOM! playground in Salt Lake City (Video)

[Attachment] Preschoolers at Utah Community Action spent an afternoon in May sketching their dream playground. Some wanted a climbing wall, others, a jungle gym. But ultimately, they all wanted a safe place where they could simply be kids.

On July 14, more 200 Delta and community volunteers brought those ideas to life at Delta's first KaBOOM! playground build in Salt Lake City, marking the airline's 24th playground overall since the launch of the KaBOOM! partnership in 2013. The new playground will offer a safe and accessible place to play for more than 200 students at Utah Community Action's largest Head Start facility in Salt Lake City.

'This playground will extend our students' learning environment from the classroom to the outdoors,' said Jennifer Godfrey, Utah Community Action CEO. 'We can focus more on motor activities and building those skills, and now have an environment to foster more social engagement. It's incredible.'

The playground was completed in only 5 hours - an hour ahead of schedule - and includes a multi-dimensional play structure with slides, a train component and shade structures to keep students and teachers cool. In addition to the playground, volunteers built benches, picnic tables, recycling and trash bins and painted colorful sidewalk games and murals.

'We're excited to complete our first KaBOOM! build here in Salt Lake, and it was great to see Delta employees and volunteers from Utah Community Action come together to make a lasting impact,' said Dan Ketchel, General Manager - Operations. 'Our airport and the Salt Lake City community is growing, and we're thrilled to partner with Utah Community Action to build a playground at James R. Russell Head Start so the students have the opportunity to grow and flourish as well.'

At the ribbon cutting, Delta surprised Utah Community Action with a check for $10,000. The donation will assist with long-term maintenance of the playground and support future school programming.

[Attachment]'We are thrilled to build Delta's first KaBOOM! playground in Salt Lake City alongside the volunteers of Utah Community Action. It was a fantastic day and a true illustration of what's possible when Delta volunteers come together with the local community to build something for future generations,' said Tad Hutcheson, Managing Director - Community Engagement. 'It's core to our culture to give back to the communities where we live, work and serve, and we are proud of our longstanding partnership with KaBOOM! as we continue to make a difference.'

KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated to giving all kids the childhood they deserve filled with balanced and active play. This year, Delta will complete six KaBOOM! playgrounds, including those already built in Los Angeles, Miami, New York City and Salt Lake City, and two more slated for this fall in Atlanta and Washington, D.C.