Rays outfielder Mallex Smith joined hundreds of Tampa Bay community volunteers from Bank of America, University Area Community Development Corporation, Inc., and KaBOOM! on Friday to break ground on a new playground at University Area Harvest Hope Park to give local children, particularly those growing up in poverty, a safe place to play.
The playground is the eighth of its kind in the Tampa Bay area. Since 1996, KaBOOM! has prided itself on providing children with a life of balance and one that includes sufficient amounts of physical activity. The organization has built, opened or improved nearly 16,700 playgrounds in the United States and served approximately 8.