Post Date: 05/24/2018 3:00 PM

The Mayor’s Office, Parks and Recreation, Christiana Care Health System and Wilmington Police Department will launch the new youth and family health and community engagement initiative on June 2

Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki and Parks and Recreation Director Kevin F. Kelley, Sr., joined today with the Christiana Care Health System and the Wilmington Police Department to invite children and families to participate in the City’s first-ever Play Streets program. The pilot program, which will also involve various non-profit and community partners, will promote healthier lifestyles for children and families as well as seek to improve community engagement among City government offices and neighborhood residents.

The Play Streets program, which involves closing streets in City neighborhoods so fun and educational activities can be enjoyed, will start in June, and be held periodically through August. The first Play Streets event is scheduled for Saturday, June 2 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Southbridge Neighborhood House, 1218 B Street. That will be followed by a street closure near 8th and Tatnall streets in West Center City on Saturday, June 9 from 1 to 3 p.m. Other Play Streets events will continue through the summer.

Activities planned include basketball, football and tennis, and hula hoops and jump ropes will also be provided. St. Francis Hospital’s St. Clare Van will conduct health screenings, and exhibits focusing on tobacco prevention and smoking cessation as well as healthy diets will be present. The Kenny Family Foundation, which is affiliated with local ShopRite supermarkets, will provide healthy snacks.

“Director Kelley, Police Chief Robert Tracy and I are excited to be able to provide young people and their families with more space for active, healthy recreation during the summer months,” said Mayor Purzycki. “Play Streets, which is possible because of the support of Christiana Care, offers an enjoyable way for neighborhood groups and schools to help strengthen local communities. Our goal is to provide our children with a safe and welcoming place to play in their neighborhood.”

Similar to a block party, streets will be closed to traffic for a period of time to create new outdoor play spaces during the scheduled events. Play Streets will offer programming that emphasizes health, such as running groups, dance classes, yoga, and soccer workshops, while equipment like jump ropes and hula hoops will be available for unstructured play.

Play Streets programs have sprung up throughout the country, including in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Philadelphia, and as far away as London, England. The Wilmington initiative, a result of the Delaware Center for Health Innovation (DCHI) Healthy Neighborhoods Chronic Disease/Healthy Lifestyles Task Force, will initially cover eight City neighborhoods this summer: Browntown/Hedgeville, the Northeast, Washington Heights, the East Side, Riverside, the West Side, Southbridge and West Center City. A complete schedule of Play Street closures, including dates, times and locations, will appear and be updated periodically online at https://www.wilmingtonde.gov/.

For more information about Wilmington’s Play Streets 2018, please contact Rysheema Dixon with Christiana Care Health System at PlayStreetInfo@WilmingtonDE.gov, or call the Department of Parks and Recreation at 302-576-3810.

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News and information from the Office of Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki

John Rago

Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Communications

Mobile: (302) 420-7928

Email: jrago@WilmingtonDE.gov



Paul Ford Jr.

Communications Specialist

Mobile: (302) 530-2171

Email: plford@WilmingtonDE.gov



Dan Sanchez

Digital & Social Media Manager

Mobile: (302) 605-0026

Email: dsanchez@WilmingtonDE.gov