Sandpointe Park Playground KABOOM! community project comes to life on October 11

The City of Santa Ana's Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Agency and Public Works Agency are excited to partner with KABOOM!, Pacific Life Foundation, and First Financial Resources (FFR) to introduce a new playground at Sandpointe Park (3700 Birch St.) with a community build day on Saturday, October 11 .

In response to more challenging environments with fewer opportunities for unstructured play and limited access to nature, combating increased screen time and other societal pressures that may negatively affect children's physical and mental health, the City of Santa Ana, Pacific Life Foundation, FFR and KABOOM! are prioritizing spaces where every kid can grow, play, and thrive. This new play space with the City is part of a nationwide effort led by KABOOM! to end play space inequity - the reality that far too many children - especially children of color - do not get the chance to play on a playground, something that should be part of every child's life. Their work is to ensure every kid can experience the numerous physical, social, and mental health benefits of play regardless of background or where they live.

Community members led the creation of the playground, from design to installation. In August, kids in Santa Ana shared drawings of their dream play spaces with project organizers. These ideas were integrated into the new playground design. This project represents progress in ensuring every kid has a place to play, providing a state-of-the-art playground for more than 1,700 children to enjoy each year.

"Pacific Life is honored to join our business partner FFR to build this playground in Santa Ana," said Pacific Life President and CEO Darryl Button. "This is Pacific Life's 13th playground build and we are proud to be giving back and helping to improve the community where we live and work."

FFR is proud to join Pacific Life Foundation and its neighbors in creating a safe, modern playground for Santa Ana families. As a company rooted in Orange County, they care deeply about supporting the communities where they live and work. This project is about giving kids a place to play, grow, and connect for years to come.

"Partnerships like these turn ideas into places where children can play, grow, and where families can build memories together," said Councilmember Phil Bacerra. "This community build with KABOOM! shows what can be accomplished for Santa Ana when neighbors and philanthropic organizations work together."

Community volunteers are invited to participate in a variety of projects and register at https://www.tinyurl.com/SASPBuildDay2025. Volunteer registration includes free breakfast, lunch, and a t-shirt. The community build day will end with a volunteer recognition ceremony at 2:30 p.m. where participants and neighbors can celebrate the creativity and hard work behind this extensive collaborative effort.

Community members are asked to keep in mind that playground construction will continue post community build day as there will be continued efforts with pouring of concrete, add rubberized flooring, create ADA pathways, and create landscaping. Playground status updates will be shared via the Parks and Recreation social media platforms (@santaanaparks).

For more information on how this project came to life, visit https://www.santa-ana.org/cultura-fall-2025-intro-article/.