A new playground was installed at Milwaukee’s Smith Park Tuesday, thanks to a team effort among the Milwaukee County Parks, United Way, the Green Bay Packers and the NFL.
The new play equipment, funded by a donation from the Packers and the NFL, replaced equipment in need of an update with five new structures and swings.
“Smith Park is an ideal spot for this partnership, said Guy Smith, Milwaukee County Parks Chief of Operations. “The new play structure will replace the outdated play equipment, while the playground hardscape can be reused.”
Milwaukee County Parks will reuse what old equipment they can throughout the parks and recycle the rest.
The installation Tuesday helped celebrate the “Hometown Huddle” day of service organized by the NFL and United Way. The program encourages NFL teams to show support for the NFL PLAY 60 initiative, which promotes health and wellness opportunities for kids.
“This project is a great way to bring the community together and encourage our local youth to be active,” Smith said.
Smith Park, 5462 N. 33rd Street in Milwaukee, was chosen as the new playground site by the Packers, United Way, MN/WI Playgrounds and the Milwaukee County Parks Department.
This is the first year the Packers have brought the NFL and United Way “Hometown Huddle” Program to Milwaukee County and the first time the team has selected a park outside the greater Green Bay region for the program.
“We are very thankful for the team’s support and hope that we can continue this partnership in the future,” said Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele.
