Foresters and community partners volunteer to build new playground in Ben Hill community
Foresters and community partners volunteer to build new playground in Ben Hill community
Providing more than 8,200 children a safe accessible environment for 15 years
Atlanta GA, October 3, 2009 – R.N. Fickett Elementary School in Southwest Atlanta has a brand new playground today thanks to a coordinated effort of 200 volunteers from ForestersTM , students, teachers and the community who erected the facility. This playground will serve the children of Ben Hill where previously there was the original wooden equipment from 1972. Georgia State Representative Roger Bruce, Dr. Sharon Williams, Atlanta Public Schools and Yolanda Johnson, Atlanta Board of Education, joined Stephen Sprague, Foresters Director, Legal, in acknowledging the tremendous contribution made by all the volunteers.
"Foresters is thrilled to provide the children of the Ben Hill community with a wonderful new park where they can play and spend quality family time together," said Stephen Sprague. "This is Foresters sixth playground build of 2009, and another excellent example of team spirit and of Foresters purpose coming to life. Foresters champions the well-being of families by investing in our communities and by providing opportunities for our members, our agents and staff to help make a difference."
Foresters, a member-based life insurance provider with members throughout Georgia, funded and organized the playground build with KaBOOM!, local parents, R.N. Fickett Elementary School and Atlanta Public Schools This is the fourth 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.
Before the first hole was dug in the ground, children from R.N. Fickett Elementary School helped design the playground of their dreams.
"This KaBOOM! opportunity allows Fickett to be a shining beacon in the community," said Dr. Anthony Dorsey, Principal of Fickett Elementary. "We pride ourselves in being a high performing elementary school in an urban environment. These new additions allow Fickett to transcend tradition and history and become a beautiful educational facility that upholds the standards and expectations of our esteemed community.
"Our goals at Fickett are to come around full circle and display 360 degrees of progress. This playground will energize our students and encourage all Fickett Trojans to complete the circle and attain the 360 degrees of achievement. Fickett has always been a great place to learn. This KaBOOM! partnership will allow us to be a great place to learn and PLAY. And like our funding partner, Foresters, Fickett "Champions the well-being of Families."
The new playground will be nearly 2,400 square feet in size and includes an adaptive swing set, bell panel, catacombs panel, chime panel, drum panel, funnel adventure tube and much, much more. With a duration expectancy range from 15 to 20 years, the playground has the capacity to serve approximately 8,200 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.
About R.N. Fickett Elementary School
Fickett Elementary School is a neighborhood school located in the heart of the Ben Hill community in Southwest Atlanta. The school has high expectations of its students and dedicates its efforts and resources to assure that every student will learn. We pride ourselves on providing quality instruction through innovative teaching methods. We have a highly skilled staff dedicated to serving our stakeholders (parents and community members) and serving the needs of our student population. We treasure our community because strength is rooted in the beauty of diversity, the wisdom of a shared vision, and the uncompromising love of children. You can learn more about Fickett Elementary School at
http://srt1.atlantapublicschools.us/fickett/site/default.asp.
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 1,700 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.
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Last Modified:
August 31, 2009
406406 CAN/US (09/09)
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