BI-LO CHARITIES DONATES $45,000 TO BUILD STATE-OF-THE-ART PLAYGROUND IN DOWNTOWN GREENVILLE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Elizabeth J. Baker
Erwin-Penland
864-672-3875
elizabeth.baker@erwinpenland.com
BI-LO CHARITIES DONATES $45,000 TO BUILD
STATE-OF-THE-ART PLAYGROUND IN DOWNTOWN GREENVILLE
Students Help Architects Design Dream Playground at
New A.J. Whittenberg Elementary School
GREENVILLE, S.C. (Sept. 21, 2010) – BI-LO Charities has donated a total of $45,000 to help build a one-of-a-kind playground at the new A.J. Whittenberg Elementary School in downtown Greenville. While the playground will be used by the schools’ students during school hours, it will be available for all children in the Greenville area to enjoy after school, on weekends and during the summer, including those at the nearby Salvation Army Kroc Center.
Not only is BI-LO Charities providing funding for the playground, but BI-LO teammates will also be part of the playground’s construction. Hundreds of volunteers will come together to build the new community playground from start to finish in just five days from Wednesday, Sept. 29 – Sunday, Oct. 3. Community members still have the opportunity to sign up to volunteer and pitch in with the build by visiting www.ajwplayground.org.
“We are thrilled to have BI-LO Charities as a partner for this important project,” said A.J. Whittenberg Elementary School Program Director and Playground Lead Chairperson Ansel Sanders. “This playground will be the first of its kind in Greenville and offer something unique to children in the area. With BI-LO Charities’ history of supporting children in our community, we knew they’d be a perfect partner.”
This past summer, a group of Whittenberg students met with a playground architect from New York’s Leathers and Associates, which specializes in building student-designed, community-built playgrounds, to share their visions for an ideal playground. The architects used the children’s imaginative concepts and fantasies to create a one-of-a-kind playground spanning more than 12,000 square feet, including everything from a suspension bridge and climbing nets to a twisty slide and four-person see-saw.
Along with fulfilling students’ dreams of the perfect playground, BI-LO Charities is also ensuring that this safe, enjoyable place to play and exercise is part of an overall commitment to a healthy lifestyle. BI-LO Charities will promote healthy eating habits to students with the help of BI-LO’s mascots Walter’s Pals, which will be featured in educational materials for students as well as being a permanent part of the playground.
“At BI-LO Charities we are passionate about children’s needs, and this new playground will help promote creativity and fun as well as healthy living for children in the Greenville community by giving them a place where they can exercise both their bodies and their imaginations,” said BI-LO Charities Executive Director Carol Browning.
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 27th anniversary in June 2010. Since its inception in 1984, the BI-LO Charity Classic has raised more than $53 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 207 supermarkets and employs approximately 15,100 people.
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