Press Release from City of Uvalde: Gloria Resma, Parks and Recreation Manager
12-09-25
UVALDE, Tex. (Dec. 18, 2025) – The City of Uvalde and national nonprofit KABOOM! participated in a plenary session at the Texas Children in Nature Network Summit, where leaders from Uvalde came together to share how play and access to nature can support children’s health, reclaim joy, and pave a way towards long-term resilience.
The panel, hosted by Jen DeMelo, Vice President of Innovation at KABOOM!, the national nonprofit committed to end playspace inequity, featured the following speakers:
• Gloria Resma, City of Uvalde Parks and Recreation Manager
• Tammie Sinclair, Director, El Progreso Memorial Library
• Mayra Vasquez, Vice President, Rotary Club of Uvalde
• Dolly Schultz, U.S. Navy Veteran and American Legion Representative
Panelists discussed the transformative power of play in the wake of tragedy, the role of participatory design in reclaiming purpose and joy, and the community’s evolution in creating inclusive playspaces and expanding access to nature.
KABOOM! expressed deep gratitude to the City of Uvalde for its steadfast leadership and partnership.
Together, KABOOM! and the City have created six new playspaces, with two additional projects planned for 2026, ensuring more children and families have joyful, safe places to play and connect.
“Uvalde continues to show what’s possible when a community comes together to center the well-being of its kids,” said Jen DeMelo, Vice President of Innovation at KABOOM!. “Play and access to nature aren’t just nice-to-haves. They are essential for children’s physical, mental, emotional, and social health. Playing in nature helps kids build confidence, strengthen relationships, process big feelings, and reconnect with joy. The leadership and partnership we’ve experienced here in Uvalde is extraordinary, and it’s fueling real progress toward playspace equity. KABOOM! is proud to stand with Uvalde as they create inclusive, joyful spaces where every child can heal, grow, and thrive.”
As the year comes to a close, KABOOM! celebrates the collaboration, creativity, and resilience that make this partnership and pursuit towards playspace equity in Uvalde possible.
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About the City of Uvalde
The City of Uvalde suffered an unimaginable tragedy on May 24, 2022, with the Robb Elementary School shooting—a day that forever changed our community. In the midst of our grief, KABOOM stepped forward with compassion and support, helping us transform parks that were long overdue for care. Their partnership created more than just improved spaces; it offered our community a place to breathe again, to gather, to remember, and to begin healing together. During one of the darkest moments in our history, these renewed parks became symbols of hope, purpose, and unity for the people of Uvalde.
About KABOOM!
KABOOM! is the national nonprofit committed to ending playspace inequity – the reality that quality places to play are not available to every child, especially in communities of color. Since 1996, KABOOM! has partnered with kids and communities to create or transform 17,000+ playspaces and ensure that more than 12 million kids have equitable access to the critical benefits and opportunities that playspaces offer. KABOOM! continues to make progress on its 25 in 5 Initiative to End Playspace Inequity through new partnerships with a goal of accelerating efforts in 25 municipal systems toward achieving their mission at scale across the United States. Learn more at kaboom.org or join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
