The playground, scheduled to open late fall, will be a place where children of all abilities can play together. Hasbro is working with Boundless Playgrounds, a non-profit organization headquartered in Bloomfield, Conn., to create a fun, safe, sensory-rich, and developmentally appropriate universal playground. Through "Dreaming & Design" parties led by Boundless Playgrounds, children from the community, Hasbro employees and their children will share their ideas and dreams for play equipment.

In a Boundless Playgrounds children's park, children who use wheelchairs, leg braces, or walkers can play on at least 70% of the playground without having to leave their support equipment behind.

"At Hasbro, our primary goal is to provide children with rich and enjoyable play experiences," said Alfred J. Verrecchia, Hasbro's Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Global Operations. "Together with Boundless Playgrounds, we hope to build a truly magical place where children of all abilities can play together. At the same time, we hope to set an example for other corporations to follow."

"The amenities and attractions of our capital city's parks system and, in particular, Roger Williams Park, will be greatly enhanced by this Boundless Playgrounds children's park," said Mayor Vincent A. Cianci, Jr. "By creating the first such play area in Providence, Hasbro opens new worlds of enrichment to the young people enjoying this fully accessible playground. Through its generosity, Hasbro demonstrates a community spirit that enables spirited children of all abilities to play, imagine and thrive in a superb environment."

"Boundless Playgrounds is proud to partner with Hasbro in this exciting project," said Amy Barzach, Executive Director of Boundless Playgrounds. "All children deserve the right to play and it is truly inspiring for a large company like Hasbro to give a gift like this to Rhode Island. It is our hope that their leadership in this project will encourage other companies to do the same." Hasbro also supports Boundless Playgrounds through the Hasbro Children's Foundation, one of the Company's charitable arms dedicated to improving the quality of life for disadvantaged children and their families. Through a grant from the foundation, Boundless Playgrounds' Hasbro National Resource Center provides guidance to communities and individuals as they design and create their playground.

Founded in 1997 by an enthusiastic team of parents, professionals and community leaders, Boundless Playgrounds seeks to increase public awareness of the tremendous need for fully integrated, universally accessible and developmentally appropriate playgrounds and to demonstrate how all children benefit from them. Of equal importance, the Boundless Playgrounds team provides direct services to people and corporations who want to design and develop universally accessible playgrounds so that every child in the United States can reach one within an hour - a minimum goal of 1,000 playgrounds.

Hasbro is a worldwide leader in children's and family leisure time entertainment products and services, including the design, manufacture and marketing of games and toys ranging from traditional to high-tech. Both internationally and in the U.S., its Playskool, Kenner, Tonka, Oddzon, Super Soaker, Milton Bradley, Parker Brothers, Tiger, Hasbro Interactive, Microprose, Galoob and Wizards of the Coast brands and products provide the highest quality and most recognizable play experiences in the world.

[Posted 5/16/2000]