Kathleen “Kathy” Carroll, PhD, loved the color blue, opera, and the pursuit of knowledge.
Now a brand new, vibrant playground in the Newhallville section of New Haven stands as a lasting monument to Carroll’s legacy, grounded in Carroll’s love of community, passion for citizenship and inclusion, and dedication to giving.
“This will live beyond her,” said Ayana Jordan, MD, PhD, assistant professor adjunct in the Department of Psychiatry, addiction psychiatrist at NYU Langone Health and mentee of Carroll’s. “Folks may never know who she is in years to come, but this playground really does embody her values of giving back and promoting inclusion. Everybody is welcome - no matter what you look like or where you come from, everybody has something to share. Her spirit will live on through this.”
The Kathy Carroll Community Playground officially opened to the public on May 20, 2023, one year and one day after fundraising for the playground was formally kicked off.
At the time of her death in December 2020, Carroll was the Albert E. Kent Professor of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine, and the director of Psychosocial Research in the Division on Addictions.
Carroll was an internationally-renowned clinical scientist who made groundbreaking contributions to improving treatment for people who use drugs. She devoted her career to identifying key elements of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and worked towards distribution of the treatment through authoring a CBT manual, which was translated into 14 languages, and the creation of a digital product, Computer Based Training for Cognitive Behavioral Treatment, a computer program available alongside clinical treatment to people who use drugs.
Carroll was also a humanitarian and maintained a deep relationship with New Haven’s Christian Community Action (CCA), an agency providing housing and social services to families facing homelessness, by supporting unhoused children and families staying with CCA. CCA meant so much to her that Carroll made her final donation to CCA from her hospital bed just days before she died.
The new playground in her memory is located at 660 Winchester Ave., on the site of a “moving to work” program called New H.O.P.E. (Housing, Opportunity, Purpose, Expectations) that is a partnership between CCA and the Elm City Communities/Housing Authority of New Haven.
“A year ago, this building was empty and now it’s full of 17 families who have this playground and the hope and community that it brings,” said Kate Chivian, Carroll’s daughter. “It’s perfect. She just loved kids so much. She loved CCA and what she got to do there.”
The Kathy Carroll Playground Committee spearheaded the playground project over the past two and a half years by engaging with neighbors and local grassroots groups to assess interest and get input on design elements, as well as fundraising. The committee is comprised of Chivian, CCA staff, Carroll’s good friend Jen Bardsley, Newhallville representatives from Community Placemaking Engagement Network, and Yale employees Theresa Babuscio, Joanne Corvino, and Charla Nich.
“When Kathy died, we were all devastated,” Corvino said. “We knew that her professional contributions were outstanding, and also knew right away that we wanted to honor her with a legacy that truly reflected her values and personality, and a playground in an economically disadvantaged neighborhood seemed like a great way to capture her playful spirit.”
After interviewing several contractors and playground builders, the committee decided to partner with The Where Angels Play Foundation, a nonprofit organization formed in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012 that has gone on to build 60 playgrounds across the world.
The Where Angels Play Foundation interviews families and friends of people who have passed to determine whether they can offer their services.
Over 320 individuals donated to the playground initiative, many more than once. In addition, three family-advised funds donated through the Community Foundation of Greater New Haven, and both the Community Foundation and the United Way provided grants. Two businesses - Jersey Mike’s Subs and Insight Counselling, LLC – held their own fundraisers for the playground. The Peace Affirmation and Justice Committee of the First Congregational Church in Guilford and Yale New Haven Affairs also contributed.
In total, the committee raised $138,004.14 toward the playground’s construction.
When working with Where Angels Play to design the playground, the committee made sure to pour as much of Carroll into it as possible.
The blue metal that makes up the bulk of the structure? It was Carroll’s favorite color. The red slides and interactive yellow play panels? The committee was inspired by a photo that they consider to be an iconic image of Carroll, where she is laughing while sprawled out along a bench at the PEZ Visitor Center in Orange, wearing bright yellow pants and a red T-shirt perfectly aligned with the vinyl seat.
The yellow panels hold special significance and particularly capture Carroll’s spirit. In a corner of the playground structure, in an area designed to resemble a play kitchen, an engraved quote reads: “There’s always room for one more at the table,” above an engraving of Carroll’s actual signature.
In the center of the playground structure, an image of an open book is emblazoned with Carroll’s signature phrase: “This is so great!” and is attributed to “Kathy Carroll, Girl Scientist.” The final panel reads, “You can get through anything if you just have friends,” surrounded by four handprints. Those handprints belong to Chivian - a nod to the collection of photocopied images of Chivian’s handprints that once adorned Carroll’s office.
The vision was brought to life with the help of more than 100 volunteers from across the country over the course of two build days, on May 18 and 19. The Where Angels Play Foundation provided all labor for the project, and their volunteers were joined by the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism, Jersey Mike’s Subs staff, and the PepsiCo Foundation, as well as Carroll’s coworkers and New Haven neighbors. City of New Haven Firefighters and the Department of Public Works also assisted in construction.
“There’s been a lot of people who lead with the heart involved in this project and have this vision and love for the community and each other,” Chivian said.
“My mom was a huge believer in the joy of play and the more I have spoken with people who knew her and were her chosen family, the more stories I hear about her being a goofball and bringing joy wherever she went. I am so glad we have this tangible place made with so much love that embodies her spirit.”
Standing under a small tent in the pouring rain on May 20, community stakeholders and those who worked on the project gathered alongside Carroll’s family, friends, and colleagues to officially celebrate its opening.
Brian Kiluk, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry and a mentee of Carroll’s, stood alongside Juan Castillo of WYBC-FM radio station, New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker, CCA Executive Director Bonita Grubbs, Chivian, and local pastor Roger Wilkens. They were joined by Jersey Mike’s Area Director Chad Faulkner and Bill Lavin, founder of the Where Angels Play Foundation. Vinny, a 14-year-old Make-a-Wish Foundation recipient and self-taught musician, played the national anthem on his saxophone at the ceremony.
Lavin said: “We are a triumph over tragedy nonprofit. We honor the personalities and the influence of remarkable people who have passed. The Kathy Carroll Playground is our 61st . Kathy was a Yale scientist who advocated for the disadvantaged and we honor her today with this state-of-the-art gift to CCA.”
“Kathy was such a special person to so many people,” Kiluk said. “She was a highly accomplished researcher and had a great professional career, but that is certainly not why we are here today. We’re here today because of the type of person she was, the example she set for all of us. She was kind and caring and generous, and welcoming and brought everybody together which is really what this playground is all about – bringing everyone together and having joy and laughter.”