One-of-a-Kind Playground to be Built in Charlotte in One Day Using Volunteers

As part of Mayor Anthony Foxx’s Healthy Children; Healthy Family and Youth Engagement Convention Legacies, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing Partnership (The Housing Partnership), Humana Inc., KaBOOM! (a national non-profit organization that has built more than 2,100 playgrounds), Charlotte in 2012, and volunteers will join forces on Saturday, Aug. 4 to build a one-of-a-kind, multi-generational playground in Charlotte at the Village of Rosedale Apartments.

The customized playground, funded primarily by Humana (a leading health and wellness company), along with a contribution from The Housing Partnership, was created with personal drawings and input from local community members – from children to seniors – and will be built in six hours!

Humana is proud to help create a lasting neighborhood legacy that promotes healthy play and well-being.The unique space will have senior-focused and adult elements, such as fitness stations and walking paths, to promote good posture, balance and flexibility – as well as more traditional, kid-friendly equipment to build a truly multi-generational space. The project will also create an outdoor recreation area to inspire play and healthy living for years to come.

The current playground equipment at the Village of Rosedale Apartments is worn and in need of replacement. The new playground and multi-generational exercise stations will effectively address these needs, providing youth with an age-appropriate area to play, as well as opportunities for seniors to interact further with each other and the community.

Humana is excited to partner with KaBOOM! to build a new space for local residents of all ages/abilities; encourage physical activity and overall health and well-being; and provide a diverse community gathering area. Hundreds of volunteers and community members will roll up their sleeves to build the new, 2,640-sq.-ft., playground from start-to-finish in one day in a fun, old-fashioned barn raising – with a playful twist!

The project is one of 18 playgrounds being built by Humana and KaBOOM! across the U.S. in 2012.

WHEN Saturday, August 4, 2012
WHERE Village of Rosedale Apartments
3925 Tiffany Rose Place
Charlotte, NC 28206

· 8:30 to 9 a.m. Kick off ceremony and volunteer deployment
· 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Best viewing of playground construction
· 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Final construction phase and adjustments
· 2:30 to 3 p.m. Ribbon-cutting ceremony to dedicate new play area
(Note: all times approximate)

The Charlotte in 2012 Convention Host Committee is a non-profit, non-partisan organization established by the city of Charlotte to fulfill obligations of the master contract with the Democratic National Convention Committee. In addition to those obligations, Charlotte in 2012 works to engage the citizens Charlotte and the Carolinas through business and civic opportunities, ensure that the Convention leaves a positive lasting legacy, and tell Charlotte and the region’s story to the nation and the world. For more information, visit us online at www.charlottein2012.com.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing Partnership, Inc.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing Partnership, Inc. (The Housing Partnership) is a broad-based, private, nonprofit housing development and financial corporation with goals supporting home ownership, stable neighborhoods, and communities blending market rate and affordable housing in the City of Charlotte. In addition to its home ownership counseling, lending, and community revitalization work, The Housing Partnership has created exceptional developments and neighborhoods in various parts of Charlotte including Springcroft at Ashley Park, Rivermere, The Gables at Druid Hills, and Park at Oaklawn. For more information, visit www.cmhp.org.

Humana
Humana Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Ky., is a leading health care company that offers a wide range of insurance products and health and wellness services that incorporate an integrated approach to lifelong well-being. By leveraging the strengths of its core businesses, Humana believes it can better explore opportunities for existing and emerging adjacencies in health care that can further enhance wellness opportunities for the millions of people across the nation with whom the company has relationships. For more information, visit www.humana.com.

KaBOOM!
KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated to saving play. Children today spend less time playing outdoors than any previous generation, a fact that is having disastrous consequences on their health, achievement levels, and overall well-being. To fight this play deficit, social entrepreneur Darell Hammond founded non-profit KaBOOM! in 1996 in Washington, D.C. with a vision of creating a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America. Since then, KaBOOM! has mapped over 89,000 places to play, built more than 2,100 playgrounds, and successfully advocated for play policies in hundreds of cities across the country. KaBOOM! also provides communities with online tools to self-organize and take action to support play on both a local and national level. Hammond chronicles the founding of the organization and the importance of the cause of play in his The New York Times Best Seller KaBOOM!: How One Man Built a Movement to Save Play. The book details how businesses and communities can work together to save play for children across the country. All author proceeds support KaBOOM!. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., KaBOOM! also has offices in Chicago and San Mateo, Calif. For more information, visit www.kaboom.org.

_dsc6773