Volunteers build outdoor playground for Boys & Girls Club kids in North Omaha

• Nearly 1,000 kids served by the North Omaha Boys & Girls Club have had no outdoor play space, but that changes this weekend with a new playground the kids helped design themselves.
• KaBOOM!, Pacific Life, and the Boys & Girls Club teamed up to address playspace inequity and give North Omaha kids a safe place to play and grow.
• The 2026 State of Our Kids report found children who spend at least 60 minutes outside daily have a 50% lower risk of mental health issues, underscoring why this playground matters.

BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
NORTH OMAHA, Neb. — Volunteers are rolling up their sleeves to build a brand-new outdoor playground at the Boys & Girls Club in North Omaha, giving kids a safe place to play, stay active and create memories for years to come.

The new playground is being made possible through a partnership between KaBOOM!, Pacific Life, and the Boys & Girls Club.

Beth Bergman, vice president of leadership giving, said the club has long needed the space.

"We serve almost 1,000 kids here at the North Omaha Club, and we have no outdoor play space."

The vision for the space came directly from the kids themselves.

"We had a design day. They got to draw all the pictures that they wanted," Bergman said.

The finished playground will feature slides, a tire swing, climbing structures, and equipment that spins and tilts.

KaBOOM! says its mission is to address playspace inequity and ensure every child has access to a safe place to play. The 2026 State of Our Kids report found that children who spend at least 60 minutes a day outside have a 50% lower risk of mental health issues.

Bicki Rudd, senior project manager at KaBOOM!, said play spaces are about more than just fun.

"It's where you learn to get along with each other. It's where you learn to move your body and how it even works, build your muscles, build your mind, cooperate. Fight. You learn all kinds of good things on the playground," Rudd said.

For the kids at the club, the playground is something they helped create and can call their own.

"They were so excited when we announced it. I think just the fact that they can have something brand new that's their own, they're so proud already, and I think that they're just gonna be so excited. When we announced it back in June, they're like, Well, where is it," Bergman said.

Volunteers are still welcome this Saturday for the official build day, followed by a ribbon cutting at 2 p.m

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