KANSAS CITY, Mo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On August 12th, 2014, LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Kansas City, Habitat for Humanity Kansas City, Warner Bros. Consumer Products, Fat Brain Toys, Sporting Kansas City and Jose Peppers built a better tomorrow bringing “There’s No Place Like Home” to Kansas City.
“There’s No Place Like Home” is a year-long campaign celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the classic film The Wizard of Oz, that combines fundraising and volunteer efforts to support Habitat for Humanity’s mission to create decent, safe and affordable housing in partnership with families that would not qualify for conventional home loans across the United States. The Kansas City stop is the final build for the campaign, just in time for the 75th Anniversary of the cinema classic.
The Kansas City build was sponsored by LEGOLAND Discovery Center Kansas City, Fat Brain Toys, Jose Peppers and Sporting Kansas City. The family whose house was being built was given a LEGO model of Dorothy’s House and other Habitat families will be given toys courtesy of Fat Brain Toys.
Sporting Kansas City players, including Graham Zusi, Matt Besler, Aurelien Collin, Soony Saad and Dom Dwyer attended the build to help support Habitat for Humanity Kansas City and the soon-to-be homeowner.
“Having the final ‘There’s No Place Like Home’ build in Kansas City was very fortunate for us,” says Joanna Hobday, marketing manager for LEGOLAND Discovery Center Kansas City. “The campaign has been all over the United States and is coming full circle, back where Dorothy’s story began.”
About LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Kansas City
LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Kansas City opened at Crown Center in April 2012. Described as stepping into the biggest box of LEGO® bricks in the world, the $15 million, 30,000-square-foot interactive attraction features hands-on play areas, a 4D Cinema, master classes from the LEGO Master Model Builder, LEGO-themed rides, and special party rooms for birthdays and other celebrations. This highly interactive and educational 2-3 hour indoor experience is ideal for families with children between the ages of 3-10. In order to maintain a welcoming and safe environment, the attraction does not permit adults who are not accompanied by a child under the age of 16.
About Merlin Entertainments – North America
MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS plc is the leading name in location-based, family entertainment. Europe’s Number 1 and the world’s second-largest visitor attraction operator, Merlin now operates 104 attractions, 10 hotels/3 holiday villages in 22 countries and across 4 continents. The company aims to deliver memorable and rewarding experiences to its almost 60 million visitors worldwide, through its iconic global and local brands, and the commitment and passion of its managers and more than 20,000+ employees.
Merlin has twenty three attractions and one hotel in North America - including two stunning LEGOLAND Resorts – LEGOLAND Florida with its theme park, water park, and LEGOLAND California theme park with water park, SEA LIFE aquarium and themed hotel; Madame Tussauds celebrity wax attractions in New York, Washington DC, Las Vegas; Hollywood; and San Francisco LEGOLAND Discovery Centers in Chicago; Dallas/Fort Worth; Kansas City Missouri; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston; Westchester, New York; Toronto, Canada; a Dungeon in San Francisco; and SEA LIFE aquariums in Phoenix, Arizona; Kansas City, Missouri; Dallas/Fort Worth; the Mall of America in Minneapolis and Charlotte – Concord - underlining the company’s position as the world’s biggest global aquarium operator. Visit www.merlinentertainments.biz for more information.
About THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Warner Bros. Consumer Products, Warner Home Entertainment Group and Warner Bros. Entertainment Corporate Responsibility have teamed up with Habitat for Humanity to take to the road – the Yellow Brick Road, that is! The “THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME campaign is a keystone of the 75th Anniversary celebration of The Wizard of Oz. The partnership, in honor of Warner Bros.’ beloved film, features a digital fundraising campaign, as well as a number of themed initiatives and events around the country, all in support of Habitat for Humanity’s mission to create affordable housing in partnership with low-income families. For more information, please visit: www.TheWizardofOz.com/Habitat.
About Warner Bros. Entertainments
Warner Bros. Entertainments, a fully integrated, broad-based entertainments company, is a global leader in the creation, production, distribution, licensing and marketing of all forms of entertainment and their related businesses. A Time Warner Company, Warner Bros. stands at the forefront of every aspect of the entertainment industry, from feature films to television, home video/DVD, animation, comic books, interactive entertainments and games, product and brand licensing, international cinemas and broadcasting.
About Habitat for Humanity Kansas City
Habitat for Humanity Kansas City is the seventh oldest affiliate world wide of Habitat for Humanity International. Habitat for Humanity Kansas City is a 501(c)(3) non-profit Christian ministry working to fulfill the dream of home ownership for low-income families in the greater Kansas City metropolitan area. For more information about Habitat for Humanity Kansas City, visit www.habitatkc.org or call us at (816) 924-1096.
About Sporting Kansas City
Sporting KC is owned by a group of local Kansas City business and community leaders comprised of Neal Patterson, Cliff Illig, Pat Curran, Greg Maday and Robb Heineman. The club prides itself on its commitment and vision to provide high-performance entertainment and consumer experiences. Sporting Club purchased the team from the Hunt Sports Group in 2006, and under its direction has opened the world-class Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, Missouri and state-of-the-art Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas, while investing in the Sporting KC Academy for developing local youth into homegrown talent. Sporting KC was crowned MLS Cup champions in 2013, claiming a second league title in the team's 19-year history as a charter member of Major League Soccer. The team is also a two-time winner of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and will represent Major League Soccer in the 2014-15 CONCACAF Champions League.
About Fat Brain Toys
About Fat Brain Toys (FatBrainToys.com): Fat Brain Toys is a national retailer and developer of unique specialty toys, games and gifts. This May, Fat Brain Toys opened their second retail location as part of the Prairiefire Development in Overland Park, Kansas. The retail experience combines a unique selection of educational toys with a "try before you buy" experience. Fat Brain Toys has truly been a pioneer in the online toy space, beginning out of Mark and Karen Carson's garage in 2002. With over 7,000 toys available for purchase online, Fat Brain Toys is one of the largest and most respected toy retailers in the world. For more information, visit http://fatbraintoys.com/about_us/presskit.pdf.
About Jose Pepper’s Restaurant Group
Jose Pepper's is celebrating over 25 years of serving up Kansas City's favorite Tex-Mex food. In 1988, Jose Pepper's began with the mission to provide the highest quality, freshest food with exceptional service. With these concepts as their cornerstone, Jose Pepper's continues to thrive and expand. The journey started with a single restaurant in Overland Park and persists 25+ years later with multiple locations throughout Kansas and Missouri.
Over the years, Jose Pepper's has become a household name in the Kansas City area and beyond. The company prides itself on training staff to accommodate the needs of any guest and to exceed all service expectations. The loyalty of the community has not only attested to the achievement of our food and service benchmarks, but it has also served as a motivational tool, urging the company to surpass our guest’s expectations. Jose Pepper's promises to faithfully provide the highest quality & freshest foods while providing exceptional service. Visit a Jose Pepper’s today and experience the fresh difference!
THE WIZARD OF OZ and all related characters and elements are trademarks
of and © Turner Entertainment Co.
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