Foresters Financial, KaBOOM! and volunteers bring families together with new playground at Montwood Park

LA HABRA, CA, April 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - The La Habra community was revitalized today thanks to a new playground built at Montwood Park. In less than eight hours, more than 200 volunteers from Foresters Financial^TM, the City of La Habra, and non-profit KaBOOM! created the new play space, which will serve more than 1,493 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 to communities, providing a public space where children can play safely, 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 La Habra 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 February 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, all at the same time. This year, Foresters and KaBOOM! are proudly celebrating the 10 year anniversary of  their partnership. Since 2006, Foresters has invested more than $11.5 million with KaBOOM! to build over 130 playgrounds – including four in La Habra - across the US and Canada by the end of 2016. Over their 15-year lifespan, these playgrounds will provide more than 4.5 million children and their families with an opportunity to spend quality time together and enhance family well-being.

"KaBOOM! and Foresters have been great partners of the City and we are glad they have chosen to invest in our community once again," said David DeLeon, Recreation Manager for the City of La Habra. "Montwood Park serves thousands of kids each year and that is pretty remarkable for a 0.6 acre park.  We know the new playground will provide a much needed improvement and further reinforce that Montwood Park is a safe place for kids to play."

Green spaces and safe play structures where children and families can enjoy and spend 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 safely and be active in their community.

Foresters Financial is a KaBOOM! Founding Partner and National Partner. Since 1996, KaBOOM! has been dedicated to the bold goal of ensuring that all children get the balance of active play they need to become healthy and successful adults because #playmatters.

About Community Partner
La Habra is in the Northern part of Orange County, located at the border between Los Angeles and Orange Counties; it encompasses approximately 7.2 square miles and a population of 62,000 people.  Though it is a small community, there are numerous large and mid-sized corporate businesses in the area, with CVS Health being the largest employer with more than 1,000 employees.  The city's local economic growth and development is of great importance among the community leadership, and successful focus has been placed on attracting new businesses and residential development tracts. Our motto is that we are a "Caring Community."

The Institute for Healthcare Advancement (IHA) is a nonprofit, 501 (c)(3) healthcare public charity, with the mission of empowering people to better health. IHA accomplishes its mission by hosting a national Annual Health Literacy Conference for healthcare professionals; publishing the easy to read, easy to use 'What To Do For Health' book series; and consulting on health literacy communication solutions. Locally, IHA administers the La Habra Family Resource Center, and is a leader of Covered OC, a collaborative of agencies advocating for and enrolling consumers in healthcare coverage in Orange County, California. For more information about IHA's products and services, please visit www.iha4health.org

The La Habra Family Resource Center provides a complete family-centered support system that works with community resources to address the health, emotional, social, and academic needs of children and their families.

Foresters
Foresters Financial™ is an international financial services provider with more than three million clients and members in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. We provide life insurance, savings, retirement and investment solutions that help families achieve their financial goals and make a lasting difference in their lives and communities. For over 140 years, Foresters Financial has built a foundation of financial strength and a commitment of giving back to our clients and members and the communities where they live. 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. 413565A US (04/16)

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 16,000 playgrounds, engaged more than one million volunteers and served 7.4 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.

SOURCE Foresters

Related Links

www.foresters.com