More than 150 volunteers from Denver area Home Depot stores, KaBOOM!, NEWSEDCDC and community members will join together in the true sense of community on Wednesday, Oct. 16, from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., to build a new playground for the children at Del Pueblo Elementary School.

The ECE (Early Childhood Education) and Kindergarten play area at Del Pueblo Elementary School, 750 Galapago St., will be transformed into a new, safe, state-of-the-art playground in one day of activity. Students at the school are anxious to see their fantasy playground drawings come to life when they return from fall break. (Del Pueblo operates on the district’s Continuous Year calendar.)

This playground is possible through an ongoing partnership between The Home Depot, the nation’s largest home improvement retailer, and KaBOOM!, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to building playgrounds in neighborhoods that need them most. As national sponsor, Home Depot is providing financial support, materials and numerous volunteers for the project. The renovation will mark the 99th playground the companies have enhanced and converted into a vibrant safe haven for students.

Helen Trujillo Wulfers, Principal of Del Pueblo Elementary, said the old playground at the school is minimal and must be upgraded to the newest safety standards. The new playground will feature sleek, futuristic play equipment including two slides, two climbers, two bridges, tic-tac-toe game panels and a storefront panel. A separate structure called Toddler Town will also be on the site and is designed to hold 12 toddlers with nine different play events for imaginative play. All elements will meet or exceed guidelines set forth by the American with Disabilities Act and the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

“The parents of children at Del Pueblo Elementary are actively involved in their children’s care and education. We know they are looking forward to helping Home Depot’s volunteers build our new play area,” said principal Trujillo-Wulfers.
Veronica Barela, CEO of NEWSED said the new playground will be a source of pride for the entire community and a great example of a corporation giving back to the community.

Home Depot’s partnership with KaBOOM! is part of the retailer’s ongoing commitment to give back to the communities its serves. Community involvement and support of local nonprofit organizations are key parts of Home Depot’s corporate culture.

“When people think of Home Depot, they see a home improvement business,” said Eric Peterson, Regional President for the Home Depot. “We’re also in the business of building communities and empowering kids.”

KaBOOM! is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to building playgrounds in the neighborhoods that need them most. KaBOOM! not only provides a haven for children to play games with friends, keep fit and healthy, and develop social skills, but also creates space for parents and grandparents to spend time with their children, and for neighbors to build vital social networks within their communities. KaBOOM! helps bring together community organizations, individuals, and businesses to build safe, accessible and fun playgrounds. For information about KaBOOM!, visit www.kaboom.org.

This marks the third playground The Home Depot has built in partnership with KaBOOM! in Colorado and the 99th nationwide. The company's progressive corporate culture includes a philanthropic budget of more than $25 million in 2002. The company’s major focuses are affordable housing, at-risk youth, the environment and disaster recovery.

Founded in 1978, The Home Depot® is the world’s largest home improvement specialty retailer and the second largest retailer in the United States, with fiscal 2001 sales of $53.6 billion. The company employs more than 280,000 associates and has 1,449 stores in 49 states, Puerto Rico, seven Canadian provinces, and Mexico. The company for the second year in a row was named sixth Most Admired Company in America by Fortune magazine, which has also ranked it as America's Most Admired Specialty Retailer for eight consecutive years. Its stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:HD) and is included in the Dow Jones Industrial Average and Standard & Poor's 500 Index.