Child-Designed Playground will Eventually Serve 10,500 Children and their Families

DALY CITY, CA, July 31 /PRNewswire/ - The children of Daly City received a brand new playground today thanks to the effort of more than 200 volunteers from Foresters(TM), the Mid-Peninsula Boys & Girls Club, the City of Daly City and non-profit KaBOOM! The new playground will serve 10,500 children and their families in the Daly City community for years to come.

"Foresters is more than a life insurance provider," said Kasia Czarski, Chief Membership and Marketing Officer at Foresters. "Foresters also invests in its members and in communities where they live, such as Daly City. Foresters believes in creating opportunities for families to spend healthy time together, like the Bayshore Community Center & DeLue Boys & Girls Club playground we all built here together."

Foresters, a life insurance provider committed to the well-being of families, is funding 20 playground builds across North America in 2010. By investing $1.5 million in these projects, Foresters is partnering with KaBOOM! to build playgrounds that will eventually serve more than 250,000 children and their families.

The playground at Bayshore Community Center & DeLue Boys & Girls Club will provide 10,500 children and their families in the Daly City community with a great place to play. In less than eight hours, the child-designed playground was built from scratch by hundreds of volunteers from Foresters, the Mid-Peninsula Boys & Girls Club, the City of Daly City and the surrounding community. In addition, children and families spent the day playing games and participating in arts and crafts activities. Playgrounds are an ideal place for families to get to know other families and build strong communities.

"Only through committed investment in young people can we ever hope to shape the future for the better," said Daniel Dadoun, Mid-Peninsula Boys & Girls Club's Executive Director. "Working collaboratively with the City of Daly City, Foresters and KaBOOM! to bring the Bayshore Heights Park renovation to fruition communicates a powerful message to our community's children and their families: that we care. The completion of this project is only the beginning. We now have a true 'community park'."

"The City of Daly City is extremely grateful to once again benefit from a KaBOOM! playground build," said Mayor Mike Guingona. "It's an amazing process that brings the community together for a day to work on a project that will enhance their neighborhood for years to come."

Thanks to the work of Foresters, the Mid-Peninsula Boys & Girls Club, the City of Daly City and KaBOOM!, children and their families now have a 2,500 square-foot playground to call home that includes features such as a Solar Climber, a Swing Set and a Tube Slide.

About the Mid-Peninsula Boys & Girls Club

The Mid-Peninsula Boys & Girls Club (MPBGC) is a premier, non-profit youth development agency with a mission to inspire and enable all young people, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens. Since 1953, the MPBGC has strived to develop and strengthen the intellectual, emotional and social growth of at-risk youth. Serving over 1,200 young people annually, ages 6-18, our organization provides accessible, educational enrichment programs, assistance and mentorship at no- or low-cost during those critical hours after-school and on non-school days. As a committed community partner and resource, the MPBGC is part of the solution to close the academic achievement gap to achieve greater economic, political and social equality among disadvantaged youth and the communities in which they live.

About the City of Daly City

Established in 1934, the Daly City Parks and Recreation Department provides recreational services to youth, teens and adults in this community just south of the San Francisco border. Their philosophy of "bringing our community together" is exemplified by their full support of the project by providing both resources and the land for the playground.

About KaBOOM!

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., KaBOOM! is a national non-profit organization dedicated to saving play. Through community building, the company is focused on giving every child in America a great place to play within walking distance. Since 1996, KaBOOM! has used its innovative community-build model to bring together business and community interests to construct more than 1,800 new playgrounds, skate parks, sports fields and ice rinks across North America. KaBOOM! also offers a variety of resources, including an online community, free online trainings, grants, publications and the KaBOOM! National Campaign for Play, which includes Playful City USA and Playmakers - a national network of individual advocates for play. KaBOOM! also has offices in Chicago and San Mateo, Calif. For more information, visit www.kaboom.org.

About Foresters

Founded in 1874 as a fraternal benefit society, Foresters(TM) 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 675,000 members in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Unity Life of Canada* is a wholly owned subsidiary of Foresters. For more information, please visit www.foresters.com.

Foresters(TM) 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

SOURCE Foresters