MKE Plays receives $500K from Burke Foundation
This is the second large donation to MKE Plays by The Burke Foundation
The MKE Plays initiative has received a generous gift of $500,000, the largest single contribution MKE Plays has ever been presented, from The Burke Foundation to support neighborhood playground reconstruction projects throughout Milwaukee, Alderman Michael J. Murphy said today.
This is the second large donation to MKE Plays by The Burke Foundation, as it donated $200,000 to the initiative in 2016 – money that was used to rebuild the Marcus DeBack Playfield at N. 55th and W. Wright Streets.
The Burke Foundation was created by Richard Burke, co-founder of Trek Bicycle, and focuses on improving urban education and youth leadership development. The funds will go toward rehabilitating two playgrounds in the 7th District (Alderman Khalif J. Rainey), located at N. 29th St. & W. Melvina St. and N. 30th St. & W. Cawker Pl.
“We are humbled by the immense generosity of the Burke family and The Burke Foundation. The new and improved playgrounds will be a valuable community and neighborhood asset for all to enjoy,” said Alderman Murphy, who conceived the MKE Plays initiative in 2015 as a way to reprioritize parks into models for local collaboration and renovation with additional help from private sector partners.
Of The Burke Foundation donation and MKE Plays, Mayor Tom Barrett said: “Thanks to the leadership of Alderman Murphy and the work of MKE Plays, deteriorated parks across the city are not only being upgraded, they are being transformed into beautiful, creative spaces. Parks bring people together. Through each playground transformation, the City is not only creating a safe, fun space for children to play, it is creating a source of pride for an entire neighborhood. I am pleased with the success of this initiative and the investment we are making in our community.”
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.
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Once again, the Burke Foundation has stepped in to provide much-needed funding for youth serving efforts in Milwaukee. It has been a major funder of the 3 Urban Ecology Centers and of the Milwaukee Youth Performing Center, and now is really spurring the improvement of city parks. Bravo!