Slide-A-Thon at Smith Memorial Playground
Join us for the Second Annual
Saturday, May 15, 2021
Reserved Time Slots
1:45pm Public Welcome
2:00pm Philly All Star Sliding Marathon
Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse
3500 Reservoir Drive
Philadelphia, PA 19121
Enjoy private and exclusive access to the historic Ann Newman Giant Wooden Slide and compete for the highest number of slides during your time slot to support Smith!
Can you beat last year’s winning record of 405 slides by the 23rd Street Posse?
This event will adhere to the latest CDC guidelines for cleanliness and social distancing. Questions? Check out our FAQ’s below or feel free to reach out to Zoe Lowry, Associate Director of Communications, at zoe@smithplayground.org or 215-765-4325 x104.
Create or find a personal or team Slide-A-Thon fundraiser!
Smith is excited to host a Philly All Star Slide Team of influential Philadelphia leaders and influencers who will participate in a 10-minute sliding marathon from 2:00pm-2:10pm to support Smith! An anonymous donor has agreed to give Smith $50 for every slide completed by the All Star Slide Team. Visitors are welcome to observe the sliding marathon for free.
Philly All Star Team 2021
State Rep. Donna Bullock |
State Rep. Donna Bullock, D-Phila., is a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives representing the 195th Legislative District in North and West Philadelphia. She won the seat in a special election held Aug. 11, 2015. Rep. Bullock’s public service precedes her work in government. She has volunteered and served on several boards, task forces, and coalitions, including the Smith Memorial Playground, the Columbia North YMCA Advisory Board, West Philadelphia Child Care Network, and the Mayor’s Office of Community Service Advisory Board. |
Councilmember Derek S. Green |
In 2015, Councilmember Derek S. Green, Esquire won the Democratic primary for City Council At-Large in Philadelphia by receiving the highest number of votes cast in the election, and, later that year, he was elected as a member of the City Council of Philadelphia. As a member of City Council, Councilmember Green chairs the Committee on Finance and Disabilities and serves as the Vice Chair of the Committees on Aging and Law and Government. |
Denise Nakano, |
Denise Nakano is the midday anchor for KYW Newsradio and longtime Smith supporter. She joined KYW Newsradio in the summer of 2020 from NBC10, where she anchored and reported for 17 years. Nakano has covered some of the region’s biggest stories, including the deadly Market Street collapse, the Amtrak train derailment, and Superstorm Sandy. |
Become a Corporate Sponsor
Become a Corporate Sponsor for Smith’s first annual Slide-A-Thon! Enjoy exclusive access to the Giant Wooden Slide while raising funds to support Smith’s operations. Corporate groups, schools, adults and children are all welcome to participate! Promotional opportunities include acknowledgement in Smith’s bi-weekly, electronic newsletter which reaches 16,103 subscribers and social media blasts, which reaches over 22,000 followers (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram).
View full sponsorship benefits
Thank you to our sponsors
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The Fedirko Family Charles Henries Ivy Olesh |
Additional thanks to our in-kind contributors:
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Vending by:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Giant Wooden Slide?
The Ann Newman Giant Wooden Slide is one of Smith’s original pieces of play equipment, built in 1905 – just a few years after the Playground opened! In the early 2000’s is was named in honor of the eldest daughter of Ida Newman, one of Smith’s beloved founding board members who was a long time Strawberry Mansion resident that played at Smith was she was a child. The Slide is the source of priceless intergenerational memories and represents how Smith is essential to the families of Philadelphia and beyond. Since 1899, Smith has been a free, safe space for play. Children of all different backgrounds come together to play and grow into strong, confident individuals despite personal circumstances or societal challenges. Almost anyone raised in Philadelphia has memories of the “giant slide” at Smith. The unique, wooden sliding board is 12-feet wide and 60 feet long, and of course, is waxed and polished for optimum slide speed.
What happens at the Slide-A-Thon?
At the Slide-A-Thon, registered teams will have a private 20-minute time slot at the Slide, where they can slide non-stop to compete for the highest team slide total. All participants will receive a complimentary sliding sack to decorate and bring home.
How does the Slide-A-Thon raise money for Smith?
Registration is $25 per individual and teams can have up to 20 participants, welcoming both adults and children. Each team member is also encouraged to create a peer to peer fundraiser leading up to the event.
How do I register a group to participate as one Slide-A-Thon team?
If you are coordinating a corporate, school, non-profit or other group, you may register in one of the following ways:
- Select one of our pre-set Team sizes. Only one attendee name is required to complete registration. Remaining names may be added later.
- Select the “Grow a Team (One Group Attendee)” option and purchase the amount of currently or likely confirmed attendees. Additional team members may be added by purchasing additional “Grow a Team (One Group Attendee)” tickets in the future and entering the same Team Name that you used for your first purchase.
How do I register as an individual?
If you are an individual interested in attending the Slide-A-Thon and are not part of an existing team, please select the “Individual (assign me to a team)” ticket option on this page and Smith staff will assign you to a team of other attendees not associated with a pre-existing group.
If you are an individual that would like to join a group that is already registered, please select the “Individual (join a team!)” ticket option and enter the team name in the appropriate field. Please be sure to type the exact name of the team that the group used to sign up.
Can I still support the Slide-A-Thon if I’m not able to attend?
Yes! You may make a donation of any size to support this event by selecting the “Donation (non-attendees)” ticket option. In addition, Smith offers a variety of sponsorship opportunities. Learn more!
What do proceeds from the Slide-A-Thon support?
The Slide-A-Thon will raise funds to help support Smith’s work, which includes welcoming nearly 200,000 visitors annually for free visits (families come from every zip code in the City!). Smith also provides educational and advocacy programs that use the power of play to help children, families, and communities thrive, with a special focus on providing accessible play opportunities for underserved communities and helping children develop pre-literacy skills.
How will Smith keep visitor safe from the spread of COVID-19?
Smith staff will adhere to the latest CDC guidelines for cleanliness, social distancing, and limitations on large gatherings. Teams will be provided with personal coffee sacks for each slider and the Giant Wooden Slide will be sanitized after each team’s time slot.
Still have questions? Contact Zoe Lowry, Associate Director of Communications, at zoe@smithplayground.org or 215-765-4325 x104.