This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

THOMPSON PARK PLAYGROUND OPENING CELEBRATION Thursday, March 20 – 3:30PM – 4:30PM

Families with young children are invited to join Mayor Ray Dunton for a special family-friendly event to be held at 3:30pm on Thursday, March 20th at the new playground at T. Mayne Thompson Park located at 14001 Bellflower Boulevard in Bellflower. The celebration will include free activities for kids and healthy snacks and drinks.

“On behalf of our city’s youngest residents, I would like to thank First 5 LA and the LA Conservation Corps for transforming Thompson Park with the installation of new recreational equipment especially designed for children under five,” said Mayor Dunton. “This new playground continues our city’s commitment to making it easier and more fun for families to get active and stay healthy in Bellflower.”

 

The new park was made possible thanks to a grant from First 5 LA and was spearheaded by the non-profit Los Angeles Conservation Corps that oversaw the design and construction of the project after an extensive community outreach and design process. The LA Corps construction team consisted of at-risk young adults who are part of an innovative and successful jobs training program that the LA Corps has managed for nearly three decades, serving more than 17,000 young people each year.

Find out what's happening in Cerritos-Artesiawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

 

“The goal of the Tot Parks and Trails Program is to increase access to recreation for young children at-risk from obesity and other health impacts of inactivity,” said Bruce Saito, LA Conservation Corps Executive Director.Thompson Park is the first of its kind to be built in the City of Bellflower and is the sixth of ten new Tot Parks and Trails installations that are being built in LA County’s Fourth Supervisorial District.

Find out what's happening in Cerritos-Artesiawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“On behalf of the First 5 LA Commission, I am so pleased to help celebrate the grand opening of this newest playground designed to help reduce the childhood obesity epidemic which has been identified as a significant threat to public health,” said Karen Robertson-Fall, program officer for First 5 LA. “Communities that provide public space for children to be physically active play a significant role in the healthy development of young children. In fact, studies have revealed a positive link between physical activity and access to sidewalks, walking paths, playgrounds or recreation centers. Further, health and recreation researchers have noted that children who live near recreational facilities and programs are more active than those who do not.”

 

The Los Angeles Conservation Corps teamed up with DakeLuna landscape architects and The Better World Group to create and implement the innovative Tot Parks program that will significantly improve existing parks and better serve the needs of young children and their families. The Tot Parks and Trails Program is creating innovative, safe, and vibrant play spaces by installing new playground equipment and stroller trails for 0 to 5 year olds to make local parks (that are often designed only for older children’s needs) more attractive and usable by young children and their caregivers. 

 

###

 

 

About the LA Conservation Corps:  
The Los Angeles Conservation Corps is a 501(c)3 private non-profit organization founded in 1986 by former U.S. Secretary of Commerce and Trade Ambassador Mickey Kantor.  Its primary mission is to provide underprivileged young adults and school-aged youth with opportunities for success through job skills training, education and work experience with an emphasis on conservation and service projects that benefit the community.  The LA Corps is a national leader in workforce development and alternative education for inner-city youth and is currently the largest urban conservation corps in the nation with a full-time staff of over 150 employees serving 16,000 young people each year.  For more information, please visit www.lacorps.org

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Cerritos-Artesia