New playground in Corona Park, La Habra
Foresters and community partners volunteer to build new playground in Corona Park, La Habra
Providing more than 15,000 children a safe accessible environment for 15 years
La Habra, CA, August 15, 2009 – Corona Park in La Habra, has a brand new
playground today thanks to a coordinated effort of 200 volunteers from
ForestersTM and the community who erected the facility. This
playground will serve the children of the community where previously there was
a vacant lot and no other playground within walking distance of the park. Mayor
Tom Beamish joined Arny Bereson, Director Member Development, Foresters, in
acknowledging the tremendous contribution made by all the volunteers.
"This playground build is an excellent example of Foresters mission coming to
life," said Arny Bereson. "Foresters champions the well-being of families by
investing in communities where our members live and providing opportunities for
our members to make a difference."
Foresters, a member-based life insurance provider with members throughout
California, funded and organized the playground build with KaBOOM!, local
parents and the City of La Habra. This is the first of six playgrounds in the
U.S. that Foresters is funding and organizing with KaBOOM! this year. In its
135th anniversary year, Foresters has invested close to $500,000 to provide
playgrounds where children and their parents can spend quality time together
playing, learning and having fun.
Mayor Tom Beamish commented, "We are proud of the efforts of the community and
Foresters and KaBOOM! to provide a much-needed playground for neighborhood
children and their families. Corona Park is in the heart of our City, and this
joint effort truly demonstrates our motto: La Habra - A Caring Community!"
Before the first hole was dug in the ground, students of the community helped
design the playground of their dreams. The new playground is nearly 2,400
square feet in size and includes features for children with special needs as
well as an adaptive swing seat, bell panel, cliff hanger, crater arch, driving
panel, slide-n-learn panel, sliding pole, adventure tube, spiral climber,
spiral slide and much more. With a duration expectancy range from 15 to 20
years, the playground has the capacity to serve approximately 15,000 children
in its lifetime.
Foresters investment in this playground extends beyond the work completed on
build day. Foresters volunteers and the community have made a commitment to
maintain the playground to ensure it is available for subsequent generations of
parents and children.
Foresters Playground Builders initiative is one way the organization is
supporting United We Serve, President Obama's call to service challenging all
Americans to engage in sustained, meaningful community service. Foresters
invests millions of dollars and thousands of volunteer hours to enrich families
and neighborhoods across North America for 135 years.
About Corona Park
Corona Park is located in a historic part of the community called "the camp", a
neighborhood comprised of farm workers and their families during the citrus
industry's boom. Corona Park was originally owned by a generous man, Mr. Gomez,
who donated the land to the community for use as a community park. Although
Corona Park is currently more a vacant lot than playground this build will have
a huge impact on the community and its children. The City of La Habra has been
working for years to build a playground at Corona Park and they are finally
fulfilling Mr. Gomez's dream.
About KaBOOM!
KaBOOM! is a national non-profit organization that envisions a great place to
play within walking distance of every child in America. Since 1995, KaBOOM! has
used its innovative community-build model to bring together business and
community interests to construct more than 1,500 new playgrounds, skate parks,
sports fields and ice rinks across North America. KaBOOM! also offers a variety
of resources, including an online community, regional and national trainings,
grants, publications and the KaBOOM! National Campaign for Play, which includes
Playful City USA and the Playmaker Network – a national network of individual
advocates for play. Headquartered in Washington, DC, KaBOOM! also has offices
in Chicago, IL and San Mateo, CA. For more information, visit
www.kaboom.org.
About Foresters
Founded in 1874 as a fraternal benefit society, ForestersTM champions
the well-being of families through quality life insurance, unique member
benefits and inspiring community activities. Foresters shares its financial
strength with more than 650,000 members in the United States, Canada and the
United Kingdom. Unity Life of Canada, a wholly owned subsidiary of Foresters,
represents Foresters in Canada. Foresters is celebrating its 135th anniversary
in 2009. For more information, please visit www.foresters.com.
ForestersTM is a trademark of The Independent Order of Foresters, a
fraternal benefit society, Toronto, Canada M3C 1T9. Unity Life of Canada, a
Foresters company, is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Independent Order of
Foresters.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Irene Shimoda
Director, Public Relations
Foresters
416 429 3000 ext 4651
877 664 6602
ishimoda@foresters.com
Last Modified:
August 17, 2009
406349 CAN/US (08/09)
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