MKE Plays gets $30K, continues work to improve Milwaukee's playgrounds

Ashley Luthern | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Milwaukee has earned a $30,000 grant from the Walt Disney company for MKE Plays, a program to revitalize parks and playgrounds in the city, Ald. Michael Murphy announced Monday.

The grant will be used to work with the local Hmong community to create designs for playground surfacing at Foundation Park, 3700 W. McKinley Way, that incorporate traditional Hmong symbols and patterns.

MKE Plays originally focused on renovating 10 playgrounds. By the end of this year, the program will have completed 13, raising about $1.7 million in private donations along the way, Murphy said. The city has kicked in $1.3 million, too.

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Many of the donors fondly recall their childhood on the playground, Murphy said.

"They know what it's like growing up on a playground," Murphy said. "A lot of kids who grew up in this city, may live in the suburbs now, their first memories are from those playgrounds."

A local playground can provide a positive space for young and old in the city, he said.

"It can play an important role in keeping our city safe," Murphy said.

For more information about MKE Plays, click here.