More than 200 volunteers joined forces to build a playground on the BeltLine at KIPP STRIVE Primary School
ATLANTA, Oct. 6, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Volunteers from Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) and parents, teachers and staff from KIPP STRIVE Primary School, as well as local community members, came together on Saturday to build a KaBOOM! playground in one day as part of Hands on Atlanta Day.
“Delta is proud to call Atlanta home, and I am proud of our employees for their ongoing commitment to support Hands On Atlanta Day and work alongside organizations like KaBOOM! and KIPP STRIVE Primary School,” said Tad Hutcheson, Vice President of Community Affairs for Delta. “At Delta, we proactively address overall well-being at the core, and KaBOOM! elevates our mission of investing in global health and wellness efforts in the communities where we live, work and serve.”
The new playground will offer a safe and accessible place to play for more than 550 students at KIPP STRIVE Primary School, which is located on the Atlanta BeltLine. KIPP scholars from the classes of 2029 and 2030, their college graduation dates, were engaged from inception, tasked with drawing the design for their ideal playground. The new playground is exclusively designed from these drawings.
Volunteers mixed 20,000 pounds of concrete, shoveled mulch, painted art work and assembled a new playground structure in just six hours as part of the one-day build.
At the ribbon cutting, Hutcheson presented a check to KIPP STRIVE Primary School for $10,000, which will assist the organization with long-term maintenance of the playground and support the programs it provides.
The playground marks Delta’s ninth playground build in partnership with KaBOOM! and the airline’s second build in Atlanta.
A video highlighting the build and profiling a Delta employee whose daughter attends KIPP STRIVE Primary School is available on the news hub.
Delta is committed to making a difference and increasing the sustainability of communities around the globe. Employees are encouraged to uphold their civic obligation to the communities where they live and work. Delta’s more than 30,000 Atlanta-based employees are active and involved in the community, devoting time and funds to organizations such as the American Cancer Society, American Red Cross, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, CARE, Habitat for Humanity International, Junior Achievement, KaBOOM!, Toys for Tots, United Way and the YMCA.
About KaBOOM!
KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated to giving all kids – particularly those growing up in poverty in America – the childhood they deserve filled with balanced and active play, so they can thrive. Since 1996, KaBOOM! has collaborated with partners to build, open or improve nearly 16,300 playgrounds, engaged more than one million volunteers and served 8.1 million kids. 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 and productive lives. To learn why #playmatters: visit kaboom.org or join the conversation at twitter.com/kaboom or facebook.com/kaboom.
KIPP STRIVE Primary School
The mission of KIPP STRIVE Primary School is to grow, in each and every scholar, the intellect and character necessary to achieve and lead in middle school, high school, college and beyond. KIPP STRIVE Primary School is a tuition-free, public charter elementary school in Southwest Atlanta. KSP opened in July 2012 with 112 Kindergarten scholars, and will grow one grade per year until serving grades K-4, approximately 550 scholars. At KIPP STRIVE Primary School, the path to and through college begins in Kindergarten! We are committed to building upon KIPP’s track record of success in the Atlanta Public Schools system by ensuring that our scholars are prepared with the foundational academic and character skills to be successful in middle and high school, and throughout college. We believe that it is our responsibility to nurture in each student a rooted love for themselves, for others, for learning and for bettering our world. It is through this encompassing love that they will become authentically and fervently invested in their climb to and through college, understanding their successes in academics and character as the means to express their gifts as leaders. Love us on Facebook by visiting www.Facebook.com/KIPPSTRIVEPrimary
KIPP Metro Atlanta Schools
KIPP Metro Atlanta Schools is part of the growing network of KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) schools across the nation. KIPP is a network of free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory schools dedicated to preparing students in underserved communities for success in college and in life. In Metro Atlanta, there are currently eight KIPP schools—including three elementary schools, four middle schools, and one high school—and the KIPP Through College Program. KIPP Metro Atlanta Schools plans to serve more students each year as it grows into a full K-12 network. To learn more about our efforts to get students #toandthrough college, visit us at kippmetroatlanta.org, or join the conversation at facebook.com/kippmetroatlanta or twitter.com/kippmac.
Hands On Atlanta
Hands On Atlanta tackles Greater Atlanta’s most pressing needs by igniting a passion and creating lifelong community volunteers. Founded in 1989 by a group of concerned citizens, Hands On Atlanta has mobilized more than 250,000 volunteers to more than 4,000 nonprofits and schools throughout the Greater Atlanta area. Hands On Atlanta is an affiliate of the HandsOn Network, the volunteer-activation division of Points of Light Institute.
About Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines serves more than 170 million customers each year. Delta was named to FORTUNE magazine’s top 50 World’s Most Admired Companies in addition to being named the most admired airline for the fourth time in five years. Additionally, Delta has ranked No.1 in the Business Travel News Annual Airline survey for four consecutive years, a first for any airline. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 318 destinations in 58 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs nearly 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. The airline is a founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance and participates in the industry’s leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia as well as a joint venture with Virgin Atlantic. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 15,000 daily flights, with key hubs and markets including Amsterdam, Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-JFK, New York-LaGuardia, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City, Seattle and Tokyo-Narita. Delta has invested billions of dollars in airport facilities, global products and services, and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Additional information is available on the Delta News Hub, as well as delta.com, Twitter @DeltaNewsHub, Google.com/+Delta, Facebook.com/delta and Delta’s blog takingoff.delta.com.
