LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Orthopaedic Institute for Children (OIC) announced today that it has received a grant from the Nike Community Impact Fund (NCIF) in partnership with CAF America to support the Everychild Foundation Universally Accessible Playground on OIC’s downtown Los Angeles campus. This bright and safe play area provides children of all abilities integrated play opportunities through specially designed playground equipment with sensory features.
“We are extremely grateful to NIKE, Inc., the Nike Community Impact Fund, their partner CAF America, and particularly to the staff of the Nike community store – East Los Angeles – for their wonderful support of our program and the children we serve,” said OIC Vice President Michael Sullivan. “We look forward to building a long-term relationship with this respected business that shares our goals to empower kids to grow well and play well.”
The NIKE-OIC partnership will focus on improving access to organized activities on OIC’s specially designed playground. In conjunction with high school students from Palos Verdes who are members of OIC’s Las Niñas de Las Madrecitas auxiliary volunteer support group, OIC and NIKE will increase the number of play dates for underrepresented children with physical and developmental disabilities, encouraging participation in and enjoyment of physical activity through monthly structured peer-mentored play.
“The Nike Community Impact Fund is dedicated to improving the health and vitality of our kids and communities – particularly ones where there are barriers to activity,” said Kathy Webb, community impact manager for NIKE, Inc. The playground at OIC was among the first projects chosen by NIKE when the company decided to expand its program into Los Angeles.
Originally launched in 2010 in Oregon, the NCIF is an innovative employee-led approach to grant making that is now active in a number of Nike community store neighborhoods across the country as well as Nike’s European headquarters in the Netherlands and the European logistics campus in Belgium. Since its launch the fund has awarded more than $4 million in grants to local community organizations and schools.
Opened on the OIC campus in 2008, the Everychild Foundation Universally Accessible Playground is a popular site for young patients, along with children who reside in the inner-city neighborhood. With numerous community partners, including the Amor y Fortaleza Down syndrome family support group and the South Central Regional Center, the playground serves a multitude of constituencies; and OIC hosts structured activities – such as monthly play dates – for all. Most importantly the facility allows children who otherwise would not be able to access a typical playground the chance to be like other kids and for able-bodied children to learn to accept others coming from diverse circumstances.
About Orthopaedic Institute for Children
Orthopaedic Institute for Children (OIC) was founded in 1911 as Los Angeles Orthopaedic Hospital. Focused solely on musculoskeletal conditions in children, OIC receives nearly 70,000 patient visits each year. In alliance with UCLA Health and with the support of the OIC Foundation, we advance pediatric orthopaedics worldwide through outstanding patient care, medical education and research. Our locations in downtown Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Westwood and Calexico treat the full spectrum of pediatric orthopaedic disorders and injuries. For more information, visit us at ortho-institute.org.
