BI-LO Charities and Chattanooga Community Team Up to Build Kids’ Dream Playground
Media Contact:
Elizabeth J. Baker
Erwin-Penland
864-672-3875
elizabeth.baker@erwinpenland.com
BI-LO CHARITIES AND CHATTANOOGA COMMUNITY TEAM UP
TO BUILD KIDS’ DREAM PLAYGROUND
Hundreds of Volunteers Step Up to Help Build an Innovative New
Community Playground in Only Five Days
CHATTANOOGA, TENN. (August 24, 2009) – Beginning Tuesday, August 25, BI-LO Charities and more than 700 volunteers from the Chattanooga area community will come together to build a new playground at East Brainerd Elementary School.
In October 2008, East Brainerd Elementary School students met with playground designers from New York’s Leathers and Associates to begin designing their dream playground. Their imaginative visions have lead to a new playground that will feature a suspension bridge, climbing wall, shark tunnel and a castle.
Along with fulfilling the young designers’ dreams for the perfect playground, BI-LO Charities also wants to ensure that this addition to the community encourages a healthy lifestyle by providing kids with a fun, safe place to get exercise and by promoting healthy eating habits. To bring fruits and vegetables into the design, BI-LO’s Walter’s Pals will also be featured in the fun, including the “Adam Apple” climb, “Polly Peach” pole, “Buddy Banana” slide, “Becky Broccoli” house and “Sue and Blu Berry” hanging tire.
“At BI-LO Charities, we are passionate about children’s needs, and this new playground will help to promote both fun and healthy living for children in the Chattanooga community. The kids will have an entertaining, safe place to play and exercise their bodies and imaginations, and the fruit and vegetable-themed aspects of the playground will help to promote healthy eating habits,” said Executive Director of BI-LO Charities Carol Browning.
Though BI-LO Charities provided 50 percent of the funding for the new playground, they reached out to the Chattanooga community to help fund the remainder, and the community answered the call. Not only did the Chattanooga area community help fund the playground build, but hundreds of volunteers will be working hard for five days to construct this new playground.
About BI-LO Charities, Inc.
Formed in 1998, BI-LO Charities, Inc. manages BI-LO’s extensive charitable giving programs, including the annual BI-LO Charity Classic golf tournament, which celebrated its 26-year anniversary in June 2009. Since its inception in 1983, the BI-LO Charity Classic has raised more than $48 million to provide funding for non-profit organizations in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee that focus on three key initiatives: children’s issues, education and hunger relief. Headquartered in Mauldin, S.C., BI-LO operates 214 supermarkets and employs approximately 15,500 people.
# # #