Dr Pepper Snapple Group and KaBOOM! presented a $20,000 Let’s Play grant to the City of Auburn on Monday to support a new playground at Game Farm Park.

The City received the grant because it was selected as a 2011 Playful City USA community by KaBOOM!, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to saving play.

The grants are part of the first Let’s Play initiative introduced last November – Dr Pepper Snapple Group’s three-year, $15 million commitment to KaBOOM! Through Let’s Play, Dr Pepper Snapple Group and KaBOOM! will build or repair 2,000 playgrounds by the end of 2013, benefiting an estimated five million children across North America.

Gina Mordeaux, director of State Government Affairs for Dr Pepper Snapple Group, was on hand Monday to present the check to Auburn during the City Council meeting.

Auburn applied for 2011 Playful City USA recognition and also submitted a Let’s Play grant application. Auburn was selected as one of 20 Playful City USA communities to receive the grant among the 151 communities that earned Playful City USA status in 2011.

Playful City USA is a national program advocating for local policies that increase play opportunities for children. KaBOOM! created Playful City USA in 2007 to help local governments address the Play Deficit by ensuring their children have the time and space they need to play.

The new playground will replace the worn, 28-year-old equipment at Game Farm Park.

It is anticipated that the new playground will attract more than 100 kids playing on the equipment daily. The playground could get more than 10,000 visits from kids over the course of the year, City officials estimated.