Providing more than 45,000 children a safe accessible environment for 15 years
Brampton, ON, August 29, 2009 – Frank McLoughlin Co-Operative Homes in Brampton 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 old wooden equipment. MPP Brampton West, Vic Dhillon joined Tony Poole, President & CEO, Unity Life and President Foresters Canada Division, in acknowledging the tremendous contribution made by all the volunteers.
“Foresters and Unity Life, a Foresters company, are thrilled to provide the children of this community with a wonderful new park where they can play and spend quality family time together,” said Tony Poole. “This is Foresters fourth playground build of 2009, and another excellent example of team spirit and of Foresters mission 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 Ontario, funded and organized the playground build with KaBOOM!, local parents and the Frank McLoughlin Co-Operative.
“I am so proud of the hard work and dedication shown by our volunteers and community partners in the construction of this park,” said Vic Dhillon, MPP for Brampton West. “All families in Brampton will be able to enjoy this fun new playground.”
Before the first hole was dug in the ground, children from the Frank McLoughlin Co-Op helped design the playground of their dreams.
“This has been such an exciting project for our community to participate in. Our children took real ownership when designing the playground and they’re thrilled to see it become a reality,” said Jackie O’Hearn, General Manager of Frank McLoughlin Co-Op. “I’d like to thank Foresters, KaBOOM!, the children, parents, fundraising partners and the hundreds of volunteers that made today possible.”
The new playground will be nearly 3,200 square feet in size and includes a rocky ridge climber, spiral climber, arch swing set, adventure tube, spiral ladder, a slither slide and much more. With a duration expectancy range from 15 to 20 years, the playground has the capacity to serve approximately 45,000 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. About Frank McLoughlin Co-Operative Homes Frank McLoughlin Co-op was built in 1990. It is comprised of 60 non-profit townhouses, including, 2, 3 and 4 bedroom units (3 of which are wheelchair accessible). The co-op provides housing to low and moderate income families. During the recession in 1992, the co-op almost went bankrupt due to vacancy losses. In order to survive, the co-op had to use up all of its reserve funding. In 2005, the co-op was told to tear down the playground because the treated wood contained some chemicals that could be harmful to the children. To make matters worse, they were informed that there would be no money to build a new one. Thanks to funding from Foresters and guidance from KaBOOM!, the children were thrilled to find out that they had been awarded with a new playground. Their dream came true on Saturday, Aug. 29, when 200 volunteers came together to build their new playspace.
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 1,600 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.
Foresters™ 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.
