Receiving the Gift of Understanding by Changing the World
Author: Brett Kidd, Vice President of Global Sales, 12/23/2024
The Chinese philosopher Confucius, who lived from 551-479 BC, offered a thought that – to me at least – still rings true thousands of years later: “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.”
Since 2019, Little Tikes Commercial has had the distinct privilege of participating in a lot of “doing” as the exclusive playground partner of Kids Around the World, a Rockford, Illinois-based non-profit whose mission includes inspiring hope among children by installing playgrounds in poverty-stricken global communities.
As Little Tikes Commercial’s vice president of global sales, I have been lucky to participate in several Kids Around the World builds, and the understanding I’ve gained through helping to bring the joy of play to these communities has been nothing short of life-changing for me – and for the many Little Tikes Commercial colleagues who have joined me on these trips.
Kids Around the World seeks out commercial playgrounds due for removal, refurbishes them and ships them overseas for reinstallation. Little Tikes Commercial donates 5 percent of the list price of qualifying sales to Kids Around the World. Customers can also sign up for the program while creating their own designs. It generally takes about four playground purchases to fund one global installation.
It’s the holiday season, and last month, I was fortunate enough to give my 23-year-old son, Daniel, the gift of understanding by taking him on a Kids Around the World build in Ecuador. Our group flew into Quito, the country’s capital, before taking an in-country flight to Manta, a port city on the Central Coast.
Once there, we brought two playgrounds to life. In one destination, we erected a 27-foot-high Little Tikes Commercial SkyBuilders® playground – the tallest of more than 1,000 playgrounds that Kids Around the World has built in nearly 100 countries. SkyBuilders maximizes space by building vertically, making it ideal for areas with limited footprints. In another location, we did our first “park-to-park” build, taking an international playground that was due to be replaced, refurbishing it within the country and rebuilding it in a community in need.
Like our entire team, Daniel worked hard the entire week, experiencing what I call “the best tired of your life.” He also shared his love of soccer (a.k.a. football) with local kids, helped distribute food to those in need and watched as literally hundreds of children beamed with pure joy and excitement upon playing on the equipment he installed – playgrounds that will endure long after his return home.
“We’ve been on a lot of really great vacations, but this is absolutely the best trip I’ve ever been on,” Daniel told me as we departed.
He understands – and as his dad, that is beyond gratifying to me.
I’m also proud of our independent, Little Tikes Commercial rep agency partners. More than a third of them have joined us on a global Kids Around the World trip, and we cannot wait to bring even more. Once you go on a Kids Around the World build, you simply “get it”. It’s the why behind all that we do as playground manufacturers and installers.
As vice president, it’s been my focus to continue a brand legacy of charitable giving at Little Tikes Commercial, including through other partnerships with charitable organizations that share our mission.
In 2015, Little Tikes Commercial began raising money for Alex’s Lemonade Stand, an amazing non-profit organization that fights childhood cancer. For every Alex’s Lemonade Stand Play Panel we sell, we donate US$100 to this vital cause.
In 2016, we began a relationship with Unlimited Play®, a non-profit that uses universally accessible playgrounds as its tool to rally community members around a higher set of values. Together, we offer certified, inclusive play spaces that support individuals for who they are, not what they can or cannot do.
My goal for 2025 and beyond is that when any potential Little Tikes Commercial customer reaches out, they strongly consider purchasing a product tied to one of these vital charitable organizations. If you’re going to buy a playground, let’s get together and change the world while we’re doing it.
To all our customers and friends, may your holiday season be filled with as much joy as a kid experiencing a playground for the first time.
Warm regards,
Brett Kidd
Vice President of Global Sales
Little Tikes Commercial