Darryl A. Irizarry, II is a new Board Member at Playworks PA. He is a Senior Development Officer at Community College of Philadelphia, and we are thrilled to have him join our team.
Darryl grew up in the Fairhill section of Philadelphia and attended William Cramp Elementary School. He first learned about Playworks through a Board Leadership and Development Program facilitated by DiverseForce. He was drawn to Playworks’ programming immediately.
“I grew up in the neighborhoods that a lot of these children come from. I can honestly say many are economically and socially at a disadvantage. Playworks is very necessary for these children. This organization allows children to develop their character through play and it allows them to briefly escape issues they may be dealing with. I sit on the board because I want to help this next generation of youth grow to be productive young men and women.”
He says that one of the greatest benefits of this program is, “the staff truly care about the youth and sincerely want to help.” Additionally he shared, “Organized activities are essential and there’s a lot of key benefits to having children interact with one another during these activities, especially during a time where technology is creating more anti-sociable behavior.”
Darryl has very fond memories of recess when he was a child. “Recess was a time where I played a lot of basketball. I really enjoyed shooting around with my friends and others that I did not know. Every time I went to recess, it was always a happy moment because it allowed me to get all of my restlessness out and have some good old fun in the sun before we started class once again.”
These days, Darryl’s playtime is usually spent with his two sons, ages nine and seven. They love to throw a football around, play catch, as well as playing Hide-and-Seek and Jack Pot!
Darryl’s vision for Playworks is to reach every child in Philadelphia. He sees the programming as greatly needed in the public schools, and he believes in the power of play “to help resolve conflicts, build and strengthen confidence, and to create a family environment in the school.”
It won’t come as a surprise to hear that we agree with Darryl 100%, and we look forward to working towards this goal with him. Welcome Darryl!
