Kaiser Permanente contributes to Let’sPlaySF! to transform 13 playgrounds used by 20,000 children.

San Francisco’s playgrounds are getting a necessary refresh thanks to a $1.6 million contribution by Kaiser Permanente to the Let’sPlaySF! campaign, which is a partnership between the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department and the San Francisco Parks Alliance.

Kaiser Permanente’s contribution represents one of the largest commitments to Let’sPlaySF! It will result in the transformation of 13 dated play areas used by 20,000 children in neighborhoods across the city.

“The mission of San Francisco Rec and Parks to ensure all communities and families thrive regardless of socioeconomic status resonated strongly with ours at Kaiser Permanente,” said Janet Liang, president of the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Region. “Outdoor play is essential for total health and we are proud to create welcoming and safe gathering places for laughter, joy, and exercise through these refurbished and new spaces in local neighborhoods. Gathering places such as playgrounds strengthen families and community bonds.”

Washington Square Playground in North Beach, the first to undergo a transformation, re-opened in January. The San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department has broken ground at 5 more locations — the Panhandle Playground, Alice Chalmers Playground in the Outer Mission, McLaren Playground and group picnic area in the Excelsior-Portola neighborhood, Merced Heights Playground, and Sgt. Macaulay Playground in the Tenderloin.

Construction on the remaining 7 playgrounds will take place from late 2019 to 2021. Those include the Buchanan Street Mall in the Western Addition, Golden Gate Heights Park, Herz Playground in Visitacion Valley, Juri Commons in the Mission, Richmond Playground, Sigmund Stern Recreation Grove, and West Portal Playground.

The campaign aims to supplement $22 million in public funds with $14.5 million in donor contributions.

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