Denver, Jun 12, 2008 - More than 200 volunteers from the Denver Front Range Chrysler, Jeep® and Dodge Dealers; The Chrysler Foundation; Chrysler Financial; Johnson Elementary; organizers from KaBOOM! and residents of the local community joined together today to build a new and secure playground at Johnson Elementary School in Denver.
Frank Fountain, President of The Chrysler Foundation, led the volunteers in building a state-of-the-art playground to serve the needs of the community. The new playground will provide more than 400 children who attend Johnson Elementary with a safe and enjoyable place to play.
Planning for the playground began in April when local children and community leaders met with organizers from KaBOOM! and Chrysler to develop their "dream" playgrounds. The children's drawings were used to create the final playground designs. The new playground's design is based on drawings provided by students, who attended a Design Day event in April 2008 with the organizers from KaBOOM!
"Every child should have access to a play area that is safe and encourages physical activity," said Jeff O'Leary, President - Denver Front Range Chrysler Jeep Dealer Advertising Association and Dealer Principal - Go Chrysler Jeep West. "This new playground, designed by local children and built by volunteers, is a small part of our long-term commitment to the Denver community."
"KaBOOM! is committed to bringing play back to the neighborhood one playground at a time," said KaBOOM! CEO and Co-founder Darell Hammond. "Every child deserves a place to run, jump, have fun and just be a kid. We are proud to work with Chrysler to give the children in this Denver neighborhood a great place to play."
The project is the second of 25 playgrounds scheduled to be built across the country by KaBOOM!, The Chrysler Foundation, Chrysler Financial and Chrysler, Jeep or Dodge dealerships. The playground is also one of more than 225 builds KaBOOM! will lead across the country in 2008, in an effort to provide an enjoyable place to play within walking distance of every child in America.
Johnson Elementary School
Johnson Elementary is a neighborhood school in southwest Denver serving approximately 420 students from ECE to 5th grade. We respect the linguistic and cultural diversity they bring to enrich our school. As a "Positive Behavior Support" school, we promote the "Caring Majority High Fives, to be focused on learning, kind, safe, respectful and responsible behavior. It is the mission of Johnson Elementary School to create a positive learning atmosphere that is child centered, committed to academic excellence and raising their overall achievement. Visit http://johnson.dpsk12.org/.
The Chrysler Foundation
The Chrysler Foundation is the primary source of charitable grants made by Chrysler LLC. The Foundation annually supports hundreds of charitable organizations with an emphasis on community growth and enrichment, arts and culture, education and youth development programs throughout the United States and, increasingly, the world. The Foundation's Good Neighbor, Good Citizen® programs make a positive, lasting investment in local communities where our employees, customers and neighbors live. Visit www.thechryslerfoundation.com.
About Chrysler Financial
Chrysler Financial offers automotive financial products and services to both dealers and consumers of Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. In addition to offering vehicle wholesale and retail financing to more than 3,500 Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge dealers, Chrysler Financial also provides fleet management and lines of credit to dealers. Currently, nearly three million drivers in the United States enjoy the benefits of leasing or financing with Chrysler Financial. Chrysler Financial has an employee base of 4,000 and supports a global portfolio of $70 billion. Visit corp.chryslerfinancial.com.
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 1,400 new playgrounds, skateparks, 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, D.C., KaBOOM! also has offices in Chicago and San Mateo, Calif. Visit www.kaboom.org.
