Two Kiwanis Clubs Named Co-Winners in the Legacy of Play Contest

2022 Legacy of Play Contest supports two all-inclusive playgrounds

Children of all abilities in Minnesota and Florida will soon have all-inclusive playgrounds at parks in their communities to play on thanks to their local Kiwanis clubs. The Albert Lea Noon Kiwanis Club in Albert Lea, Minn., and the Kiwanis Club of South Lake in Clermont, Fla., are co-winners of the ninth annual Legacy of Play contest, sponsored by Kiwanis International and Landscape Structures Inc. Each Kiwanis club will receive US$25,000 in inclusive playground equipment.

The inclusive playground design of the Albert Lea Noon Kiwanis Club

The vision behind Albert Lea Noon Kiwanis Club’s winning project

Albert Lea, Minn., about 90-miles south of the Twin Cities, is home to nearly 20,000 people. And while the city has many great parks and playgrounds, none provided children of all abilities a place to play together. After learning of a parent group working to bring an inclusive playground to their community, the Albert Lea Noon Kiwanis Club committed to helping. The vision for the inclusive playground is for children of all abilities to play side-by-side with their peers, deliver a rich, sensory environment that encourages children to grow and learn at their own pace, and allow everyone to access every point of the space.

Kiwanis Club of South Lake’s inclusive playground design

Helping children feel like champions with an all-inclusive playground project

The City of Clermont, Fla., a community just 22-miles west of Orlando, is known for being home to the United States Triathlon National Training Center. With the city motto being “Choice of Champions,” the Kiwanis Club of South Lake felt they needed to help children of all abilities feel like champions on the playground with an inclusive playground, which had been lacking in the community. Kiwanis and community members envision children of all abilities and their families easily accessing the playground as well as freestanding playground components like the We-Go-Round®, plus there will be activities that enhance sensory, cognitive, motor, social and emotional skills through sensory play panels and Rhapsody® Outdoor Musical Instruments.

Both clubs saw an outpouring of community support for the projects from the beginning, but particularly when it came time for the public vote on Facebook. Additionally, both clubs are working closely with their Cities as well as have other strong partnerships with community organizations to ensure that the all-inclusive playgrounds are installed and ready for children by 2024.

This year marks the ninth year of the contest sponsored by Kiwanis and Landscape Structures. The contest aims to inspire Kiwanians to bring play and playgrounds to their communities, providing a legacy of play for future generations.

Bring play to your community with the 2022 Legacy of Play Contest

The 2022 Legacy of Play Contest in partnership with Kiwanis International is open for applications! This is the ninth year we’ve partnered with Kiwanis to offer this contest, which awards one Kiwanis club US$25,000 in commercial playground equipment to be used toward a Landscape Structures playground project.

The Legacy of Play Contest helps Kiwanis clubs achieve their goal of bringing play to all children. See the timeline below, and review questions, read the official contest rules and submit your entry at kiwanis.org:

Entry Period. Connect with your local Kiwanis club and have them submit an entry now until Sept. 10.

Voting Period. All eligible entries will be open to public vote beginning Sept. 18. Encourage your community to vote!

Selection Period. The top 10 finalists from the public vote will be reviewed by a jury of past winners, members and more.

Winner Announcement. We, along with Kiwanis International, will announce the winner of this year’s contest on or around Oct. 13.

We’re happy to offer all 2022 Legacy of Play Contest entrants a complimentary ReviWheel™ Spinner, ReviWhirl™ Spinner OR ReviRock™ Bouncer, all of which were designed with inclusion in mind, if they continue on with their playground plans with Landscape Structures. Stay tuned for more details post-entry period.

Partner with the Kiwanis club in your community to apply for the 2022 Legacy of Play Contest and make your playground project a reality! Use the Club Finder to connect with local Kiwanis members, or contact your local Landscape Structures playground consultant to help introduce you.

Contest helps Kiwanis clubs “Make a Difference Through Play”

We are excited to be partnering with Kiwanis International to help a deserving Kiwanis club bring a playground to their community through a contest on Facebook called, Make a Difference Through Play. The winning Kiwanis club will receive $25,000 in playground equipment to be used toward a playground project that can be completed on Kiwanis One Day, April 5, 2014, which is Kiwanis International’s signature day of service.

Make a Difference Through Play contest

The contest is open to all Kiwanis clubs that are currently working on a playground project. Qualified contestants can enter the contest at facebook.com/Kiwanis by completing the entry form. Entries will accepted through May 5, 2013. Following the submission period, Facebook users will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite project. Find complete contest rules here.

Make a Difference Through Play contest

Landscape Structures became a vision partner of Kiwanis International in January 2013. Kiwanis and its family of clubs partner with Landscape Structures to bring play and playgrounds to communities across the globe. Learn more about the partnership at playlsi.com.