Ankeny Named Playful City USA for Seventh Consecutive Year

The City of Ankeny was named Playful City USA for the seventh year in a row this time for serving youth with special needs, according to a release from the city.

KaBOOM! gave the city the designation for The City of Ankeny, Ankeny Kiwanis Club and the Ankeny Community School District's  collaboration to benefit the underserved population of children with special needs with the creation of Miracle Park, according to the release.

See the full release here.

Mayor Gary Lorenz credits Ankeny's ranking to the community's shared values and commitment to helping all children live healthy, active lifestyles.

"Being able to play in a variety of ways, in a variety of settings for children of all abilities is a key component to a community's quality of life," said Lorenz in a news release. "Being designated a Playful City USA once again affirms Ankeny's standing as a great community to live and play in."

According to a statement from KaBOOM!, "Ankeny was again selected for Playful City USA designation because of its collaborative partnership among the City of Ankeny, Ankeny Kiwanis Club and Ankeny Community School District to benefit the underserved population of youth with special needs. An existing agreement with the city and school district will allow for full access to the Ankeny Miracle League Field and All Inclusive Playground during school hours for physical education classes, special needs programming, recess and other special events. The joint use agreements also enable the 800 children in Ankeny (and 3,500 in central Iowa) with special needs to have access to special sports programming, fitness classes and inclusion programs to increase levels of play for children of all abilities."

About 800 special needs children in Ankeny will have access to special sports programming, fitness classes and inclusion programs, thanks to the agreement.

Organizations have raised a total of $1,071,000 for the park so far.