Richmond, VA - June 21, 2010 – FRIENDS Association for Children (FRIENDS) Friends Family Center will receive a much-deserved facelift on Thursday, June 24. The event is part of an ongoing partnership with ARAMARK, a global provider of professional services, to help FRIENDS aid children and families develop into successful, productive citizens. The relationship is a part of ARAMARK Building Community, a company-wide philanthropic and volunteer program that is a call-to-action to help community centers positively impact families and neighborhoods. ARAMARK Building Community will reach more than 40 cities by the end of 2010.
“Because we are a subsidized childcare program, we have been hit hard by the tough economy. During a time when many of our donors have less to give, ARAMARK’s generosity enables us to make improvements to our facilities that otherwise would not be possible,” said FRIENDS Executive Director, John C. Purnell. “Over the past year ARAMARK has already provided our community with nutrition education through support of a health and wellness fair. Relationships such as this provide critical services that bring a breath of fresh air to our organization which instills hope in our community.”
More than 100 ARAMARK employees from the greater Richmond region will dedicate their time, energy and talents to enhance the indoor and outdoor facilities. Volunteers will complete enhancement projects around the center creating a more vibrant, safe and inspiring environment for the children who rely on the facilities.
The signature project is the creation of a new learning space where ARAMARK volunteers will transform the current playground area into an outdoor classroom, enhancing the teachers’ ability to reinforce learning concepts in the monthly curriculum. Employees will also construct special planter beds for each age group so that the children can learn about gardening and healthy eating through maintaining seasonal gardens. The team will also create mural benches and picnic tables for the outdoor area.
Other projects include enhancing the music rooms by creating storage units and benches; painting a variety of murals for rooms throughout the facility and the creation of picnic tables and mural benches for the outside entrance.
“ARAMARK has always been a company that exemplifies the idea of service, and through ARAMARK Building Community, we harness the energy and talent of our employees to make a difference,” said Mark Nelson, Executive Vice President of ARAMARK Higher Education and local ARAMARK Building Community executive sponsor. “An important way we help is by leveraging our diverse skills to make a lasting impact by sharing our culinary, nutrition, workforce training and facilities management expertise to support FRIENDS’ commitment to the Richmond community.”
FRIENDS seeks to reduce the school absenteeism and dropout rates that are extremely high for families served by FRIENDS, by arming children and their parents with the opportunity to grow and develop. The organization operates three multi-service, state-of-the-art family centers in high-risk neighbourhoods. FRIENDS serves more than 3,000 children per year. Most are from low-to-moderate income families who benefit from the subsidized childcare and free youth enrichment, family support and music and performing arts services FRIENDS offers.
Over the past year, ARAMARK volunteers hosted a special holiday party for children and families that included a Holiday Gift Shop, which taught the children about the rewards of giving to others during the holiday season. In March, ARAMARK sponsored a health and wellness fair to encourage children and their families to explore and learn together about good health and hygiene practices and the importance of living a healthy lifestyle.
About FRIENDS Association for Children
For 140 years Friends Association for Children has been serving the Richmond community. Founded in 1871 to serve children orphaned after the Civil War, FRIENDS has adapted to meet the changing needs of children and families. FRIENDS’ mission is to help children and families in the metropolitan Richmond area achieve their potential and become productive citizens. Today, FRIENDS operates three childcare and family services centers in the Richmond area: one in Jackson Ward, one in Church Hill and one on the Southside. In addition to its core programs of childcare, youth enrichment and family support services, FRIENDS offers health education, music and performing arts education. These additional services, plus the high quality of its core programs, sets FRIENDS apart from other non-profit and for-profit organizations. Learn more at the organization’s website www.friendsassn.org.
About ARAMARK Building Community
ARAMARK Building Community enriches the lives of families in need by supporting local community centers to help people of all generations learn, earn and thrive. ARAMARK recognizes the important role community centers play in addressing the comprehensive needs of individuals and families and is providing a range of resources including grants, volunteers and in-kind contributions. Through ARAMARK Building Community, volunteers will use their expertise to help youth and adults develop critical, employable work skills and connect them to career opportunities; support families with nutrition and wellness education; provide basic needs such as food and clothing; and help identified partners run cleaner, safer and more efficient facilities to enhance and strengthen the Center’s programs on an ongoing basis.
About ARAMARK
ARAMARK is a leader in professional services, providing award-winning food services, facilities management, and uniform and career apparel to health care institutions, universities and school districts, stadiums and arenas, and businesses around the world. The company is recognized as one of the "World's Most Ethical Companies" by the Ethisphere Institute, as the industry leader in FORTUNE magazine's "World's Most Admired Companies," and as one of America's Largest Private Companies by both FORTUNE and Forbes magazines. ARAMARK seeks to responsibly address issues that matter to its clients, customers, employees and communities by focusing on employee advocacy, environmental stewardship, health and wellness, and community involvement. Headquartered in Philadelphia, ARAMARK has approximately 255,000 employees serving clients in 22 countries. Learn more at www.twitter.com/aramarknews.
Contacts:
ARAMARK
Bev Dribin
(215) 238-8267
Dribin-bev@aramark.com
Allison & Partners
Krystin Williamson
(619) 533-7974
Krystin@allisonpr.com