BALCH SPRINGS, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Balch Springs community was revitalized today thanks to a new playground built at Balch Springs Parks & Recreation Center. In less than eight hours, more than 200 volunteers from Foresters FinancialTM, the City of Balch Springs and non-profit KaBOOM! created the new playspace, which will serve more than 2,700 children and their families in the local community for years to come.
“We believe in enriching lives and building strong communities – that’s our purpose,” said Tony Garcia, President and CEO, Foresters Financial. “Playgrounds are important because they provide a public space where children can play, families can spend quality time and the community can come together. An investment in a playground is an investment in community, and we are happy to provide the City of Balch Springs community with a place that families can enjoy for years to come.”
The design for the new playground is based on drawings created by neighborhood children at a special Design Day event held in March when community members met with organizers from KaBOOM! and Foresters Financial to design their dream playground. The drawings inspired the final playground design.
Foresters Financial, an international financial services provider, helps families reach their financial goals, protect themselves and make a lasting difference in their communities. Since 2006, Foresters has invested more than $13 million with KaBOOM! to build more than 140 playgrounds across the US and Canada by the end of 2017. Over their 15-year lifespan, these playgrounds will help to strengthen the community and provide more than 5 million children and their families with an opportunity to spend quality time together.
“Playgrounds are a major part of child development, and is a vital component to the community,” said Susan Cluse, City Manager, City of Balch Springs. “The City of Balch Springs is growing, and providing more playgrounds in our city will give the children more opportunities to get outside and play. The City of Balch Springs is very excited to have Foresters Financial help us grow as a community by providing the Balch Springs children a new playground.”
Green spaces and safe play structures where children and families can enjoy time together are sparse in many high density communities. Playing outdoors is an important part of every child’s healthy development and the creation of this new playground will allow thousands of children to play and be active in their community.
Foresters Financial is a KaBOOM! Founding Partner and National Partner. Since 1996, KaBOOM! has been dedicated to ensuring that all kids get the balance and active play they need to thrive.
About the City of Balch Springs
The City of Balch Springs
was first settled in the 1840’s. Around 1879 Mr. John M. Balch and his
family settled south of Mesquite in unincorporated Dallas County. Mr.
Balch found several springs on his land, one of which ran year-round.
Local residents began referring to the springs on Mr. Balch’s property
as Balch Springs, and use of the name continued even after he moved away
a few years later. Balch Springs was incorporated as a city on June 13,
1953. Balch Springs is truly a great place to live, work and conduct
business. For more information visit, www.cityofbalchsprings.com
About Foresters Financial
Foresters Financial™ is an
international financial services provider with more than three million
clients and members in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom,
and total funds under management of $44 billion.1 With a
history of more than 140 years, we provide life insurance, savings,
retirement and investment solutions that help families achieve their
financial goals, protect their families and improve their communities.
For more information, visit foresters.com.
Foresters Financial and Foresters are trade names and trademarks of The Independent Order of Foresters (a fraternal benefit society, 789 Don Mills Road, Toronto, Canada M3C 1T9) and its subsidiaries.
Products offered vary by country. Not all products are available for distribution in all jurisdictions. In the United States, products are offered by The Independent Order of Foresters and its subsidiaries, including Foresters Financial Services, Inc. a registered broker-dealer. Securities, life insurance and annuity products are offered through Foresters Financial Services, Inc. or independent producers. Insurance products are issued by Foresters Life Insurance and Annuity Company, New York, or The Independent Order of Foresters. Investment advisory products and services are offered through Foresters Advisory Services, LLC, a registered investment adviser.
1 in Canadian dollars as of December 31, 2016
KaBOOM!
KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated to
bringing balanced and active play into the daily lives of all kids,
particularly those growing up in poverty in America. Since 1996, KaBOOM!
has collaborated with partners to build, open or improve nearly 16,700
playgrounds, engaged more than one million volunteers and served 8.5
million children. KaBOOM! creates great places to play, inspires
communities to promote and support play, and works to drive the national
discussion about the importance of play in fostering healthy lives and
communities. To learn why #playmatters: visit kaboom.org
or join the conversation at twitter.com/kaboom
or facebook.com/kaboom.
