BERWYN, Illinois--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Berwyn community was revitalized today thanks to a new playground built at Komensky Elementary School. In less than eight hours, more than 200 volunteers from Foresters FinancialTM, Komensky Elementary School and non-profit KaBOOM! created the new playspace, which will serve more than 1,000 children and their families in the local community for years to come.
“We believe in enriching lives and building strong communities – that’s our purpose,” said Tony Garcia, President and CEO, Foresters Financial. “Playgrounds are important because they provide a public space where children can play safely, families can spend quality time and the community can come together. An investment in a playground is an investment in community, and we are happy to provide the Berwyn community with a place that families can enjoy for years to come.”
The design for the new playground is based on drawings created by neighborhood children at a special Design Day event held in April when community members met with organizers from KaBOOM! and Foresters Financial to design their dream playground. The drawings inspired the final playground design.
Foresters Financial, an international financial services provider, helps families reach their financial goals, protect themselves and make a lasting difference in their communities. Since 2006, Foresters has invested more than $13 million with KaBOOM! to build more than 140 playgrounds across the US and Canada by the end of 2017. Over their 15-year lifespan, these playgrounds will help to strengthen the community and provide more than 5 million children and their families with an opportunity to spend quality time together.
“The whole idea of this playground was it was supposed to be a playground for all. The kids did a great job in surveying the needs and coming together to fundraise for this cause. They realized that some students could not use the playground and they wanted to improve it for their younger brothers and sisters so they could benefit from it. This year’s 5th grade class continued in the tradition of working for the playground,” said Daniel King, Leader of Our American Voice Club at Komensky Elementary School
“This year, I took over the task of continuing with this project and bringing it to fruition. This playground will enable all the students in our school community, including those with special needs, to feel included during play time. The students, staff and community have done an excellent job of coming together to fundraise over the past 2 years and now we are ready to build our brand new playground thanks to KaBOOM! and Foresters Financial,” said Mariana Nicasio, Principal of Komensky Elementary School
Green spaces and safe play structures where children and families can enjoy and spend time together are sparse in many high density communities. Playing outdoors is an important part of every child’s healthy development and the creation of this new playground will allow thousands of children to play safely and be active in their community.
Foresters Financial is a KaBOOM! Founding Partner and National Partner. Since 1996, KaBOOM! has been dedicated to ensuring that all kids get the balance and active play they need to thrive.
About Komensky Elementary School
Komensky Elementary is a
preschool to fifth grade building. Our student population includes
bilingual classrooms at the 1st to 3rd grade levels and dual language
program in kindergarten. We are an inclusive school meaning that our
special needs students are integrated into co-taught classrooms
alongside their peers. Komensky also houses the elementary Developmental
Learning Program which services students with moderate to severe
disabilities. Students in this program use technology to communicate,
demonstrate learning, and access curriculum through the use of
accessibility features on their iPads. Our teachers have used a wide
range of technology resources including programs to individualize
instruction and meet the needs of all their students. Students are free
to learn in flexible learning environments and collaborate with each
other using a wide range of programs. We are a PBIS/Responsive Classroom
school where students take the lead to monitor their own behavior and
teachers continuously model expectations of our school life.
About Foresters Financial
Foresters Financial™ is an
international financial services provider with more than three million
clients and members in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom,
and total funds under management of $44 billion.1 With a
history of more than 140 years, we provide life insurance, savings,
retirement and investment solutions that help families achieve their
financial goals, protect their families and improve their communities.
For more information, visit foresters.com.
Foresters Financial and Foresters are trade names and trademarks of The Independent Order of Foresters (a fraternal benefit society, 789 Don Mills Road, Toronto, Canada M3C 1T9) and its subsidiaries.
Products offered vary by country. Not all products are available for distribution in all jurisdictions. In the United States, products are offered by The Independent Order of Foresters and its subsidiaries, including Foresters Financial Services, Inc. a registered broker-dealer. Securities, life insurance and annuity products are offered through Foresters Financial Services, Inc. or independent producers. Insurance products are issued by Foresters Life Insurance and Annuity Company, New York, or The Independent Order of Foresters. Investment advisory products and services are offered through Foresters Advisory Services, LLC, a registered investment adviser.
1 in Canadian dollars as of December 31, 2015
About KaBOOM!
KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated
to bringing balanced and active play into the daily lives of all kids,
particularly those growing up in poverty in America. Since 1996, KaBOOM!
has collaborated with partners to build, open or improve nearly 16,700
playgrounds, engaged more than one million volunteers and served 8.5
million children. KaBOOM! creates great places to play, inspires
communities to promote and support play, and works to drive the national
discussion about the importance of play in fostering healthy lives and
communities. To learn why #playmatters: visit kaboom.org
or join the conversation at twitter.com/kaboom
or facebook.com/kaboom.
