Thursday, December 6, 2012

Program lets kids play in the streets


Playing in the street is usually something people try and prevent their kids from doing.
But, the new Play Streets program coming to Buffalo will allow kids to play in the street safely with lots of fun activities.
Buffalo has recently received a $50,000 grant that will create several Play Streets around the city between May and September of 2013, including a proposed location at the corner of Grant Street and Forest Avenue.
The Play Streets program closes down streets for a few hours and opens that space up to the community to encourage physical activity with a variety of games and activities.  
“There is going to be different hubs with all different kinds of physical activities,” said Henry Raess, Play Streets Coordinator at GO Bike Buffalo. “Activities like sports, games, learning different styles of dance, music and entertainment and also participatory activities like chalk drawing.”
            Districts on the West Side have been looking for ways to provide safer spaces for kids to play and this program will be a great help to the area, said Sean Mulligan, legislative aid to council member David Rivera.
“We don’t have many places where kids can congregate and play,” said Mulligan. “So we’re excited to see that this opportunity potentially will be available on the West Side.”
Obesity rates in the U.S. have tripled in the past few years, according to Partnership for a Healthier America, and has been a trend that Play Streets is trying to reverse.
“There is evidence that not enough kids are getting enough physical activity in their daily routines,” said Raess. “So this is an opportunity for kids to get out and play as well as learn about different opportunities in the city to continue staying active.” By Max Borsuk and Maria Yankova