Green Bay Packers players to take part in MKE Plays playground build

Several Green Bay Packers players will be joining Alderman Michael J. Murphy, Mayor Tom Barrett, Alderman Russell W. Stamper, II, representatives from the Milwaukee Police Department and MKE Plays volunteers during a special playground build event TOMORROW – Tuesday, September 25.

The build will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday in the 3100 block of W. Galena St., with a news conference set to take place at 1:30 p.m. at the site as part of the Packers’ 2018 Hometown Huddle.

Packers players DeShone Kizer, Antonio Morrison, Justin McCray and Trevor Davis are scheduled to participate in the build and will be working alongside Milwaukee Police officers and MKE Plays volunteers.

Members of the media are invited to arrive at 1:00 p.m. for playground build b-roll and interviews with players. The news conference at 1:30 p.m. will feature Packers community outreach and player/alumni relations director Cathy Dworak, Mayor Barrett, Ald. Murphy, Ald. Stamper, Milwaukee Police Department representatives and representatives from MKE Plays.

Conceived by Alderman Murphy in 2015, MKE Plays is a private/public initiative that empowers local residents with the resources to create parks that are an authentic reflection of the needs, interests, and identities of the neighborhoods they serve.

To date the initiative has raised nearly $1.7 million in private donations to help rebuild dilapidated playgrounds across the city. By the end of 2018, after three years of community-involved design, MKE Plays will have transformed 13 of the city’s most deteriorated playgrounds into models of local collaboration and renovation.

“I am extremely grateful to the Green Bay Packers for their willingness to be a partner in MKE Plays and for recognizing the importance of quality recreational play for the children of Milwaukee,” Alderman Murphy said.

“It means so much to the city, to the neighborhood, and to the children to have some of their Packers heroes working to build and transform a dynamic play space that they will enjoy and fill with laughter for many years to come,” Alderman Murphy said.

Alderman Stamper said the playground build – taking place in his 15th Aldermanic District – is an uplifting catalytic project for the neighborhood. “This project is bringing revitalization and positivity to a neighborhood that can truly use a boost,” he said. “And when the children see a fresh, safe and attractive place for them to have fun and just be themselves – and one built with the help of Packers players and selfless other volunteers – it will put smiles on their faces for years.”

“I extend a huge ‘THANK YOU’ to the Green Bay Packers for helping with this project and for being a committed partner,” Alderman Stamper said.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.