November 11, 2023
Foresters Financial, Quility, Eliada, and KABOOM! Collaborate to provide a state-of-the-art, sensory-optimized playground for the kids in Asheville.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Foresters Financial: Melanie Gaskin | 416-429-3000 ext. 4044 | mgaskin@foresters.com
Eliada: Tara Campuzano | 727-410-4838 | info@eliada.org
KABOOM!: Tamara Grider | 202-464-6196 | tgrider@kaboom.org
Foresters Financial, Quility, Eliada, and KABOOM! Collaborate to provide a state-of-the-art, sensory-optimized playground for the kids in Asheville.
Asheville, NC, November 11, 2023 – Foresters Financial™ (Foresters), renowned for its commitment to community enrichment, is embarking on another collaborative venture with KABOOM! to build an inclusive new play haven for some of the children of Asheville, North Carolina.
In an initiative designed to enhance the well-being of some of the children of Asheville, more than 175 dedicated volunteers from Foresters Financial™, Quility, Eliada Homes, and KABOOM! are joining together to bring a meticulously designed playground to life. Crafted especially for the early learning center and pre-K kids, this playground is poised to benefit over 350 children and their families.
“As we prepare for this project, we’re aware that we’re not just building a playground here in Asheville; we’re building dreams, nurturing futures, and reinforcing the bridges of a community. In collaboration with our partners at Quility, Eliada Homes, and KABOOM!, we’re sending a message that every child deserves a safe, magical place to play and thrive. Let’s pave the way for a brighter, more inclusive tomorrow,” said President of Foresters Financial US and Canada, Matt Berman.
Clinicians, educators, and the playground designers partnered with Eliada Homes to ensure the playground incorporates elements for all children, including meeting the needs of those who require sensory sensitivity.
Key features include:
Sensory Play Center: This center offers a built-in sensory component that prompts children to engage with varying textures and shapes while providing an adventure blending rough and smooth to stoke curiosity.
Bongo and Xlofun Panel: These panels offer deep auditory stimulation specially designed for the developmental needs of children between 2-5 years old.
Sensory Development Imagination Table™: This versatile table invites imaginative play, letting children create their own games fostering social interaction and creativity.
ReviRock® Bouncer: This fun feature is inclusive in design, allowing children of all abilities to experience the joy of movement comfortably, with or without aid.
TalkTubes: With wheelchair-accessible heights, these tubes allow children to communicate across vast distances on the playground and epitomize the inclusive spirit of the entire structure.
Recognizing the unique needs of children who have suffered trauma, the design also integrates features that offer solace and comfort. A transparent tunnel with a view panel allows children the security of a hideaway while ensuring educators maintain visibility. Additionally, a table and benches nestled beneath the structure provide a cozy space reminiscent of "playing house," catering to the children’s desire for familiarity and comfort.
Safety, as always, remains a priority. The playground boasts over 85 cubic yards of engineered wood fiber surfacing, guaranteeing soft landings and minimizing injuries. With the dedication of 175 volunteers, armed with a wide array of tools from rakes to step ladders, this space promises to be a beacon of fun, inclusion, and safety.
In summary, this new playground in Asheville isn’t just a playground; it's a testament to the power of community, understanding, and a shared commitment to creating an environment where every child can find joy, comfort, and a sense of belonging.
Also in attendance to support this effort was Quility Co-founder, Meredith Ellison, and Quility Co-founder and CEO, Brandon Ellison. “Foresters has been one of our longest-standing partners, and we couldn’t be more excited to join forces on this meaningful, service-oriented project. We look forward to spending the day together and supporting such a deserving non-profit,” said Mr. Ellison.
About Foresters Financial:
Bringing a better, new normal to everyday families, Foresters offers a suite of unique member benefits1 and is redefining the conventional life insurance model. Member benefits include Foresters Go™2 opportunities for scholarships, orphan benefits, community volunteer grants, document preparation services for creating wills and other legal documents, Lifelong Learning, Member Deals, and more.
Foresters Financial is redefining the life insurance and individual savings industry across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom by enriching the lives, communities, and overall well-being of its members. Agents and members alike appreciate the turnkey-decisioned product offerings and end-to-end digitized processes that make it easy to get life insurance without traditional medical exams (insurability depends on answers to medical and other application questions and underwriting searches and reviews). State-of-the-art mobile tools help agents deliver tailored plans to prospective and current members. Dedicated to its members’ well-being, Foresters offers a suite of member benefits and is redefining the conventional life insurance model, bringing improved financial security and overall wellness to everyday families. Foresters Financial is the trade name for The Independent Order of Foresters, the oldest non-denominational fraternal benefit society. For 23 straight years, The Independent Order of Foresters has received an “A” (Excellent) rating from A.M. Best.3
1 Foresters Financial member benefits are non-contractual, subject to benefit-specific eligibility requirements, definitions, and limitations, and may be changed or canceled without notice or are no longer available.
2 Foresters Go is provided by The Independent Order of Foresters and is operated by dacadoo AG.
3 The A.M. Best rating assigned on August 17, 2023, reflects the overall strength and claims-paying ability of The Independent Order of Foresters (IOF) but does not apply to the performance of any non-IOF-issued products. An "A" (Excellent) rating is assigned to companies that have a strong ability to meet their ongoing obligations to policyholders and have, on balance, excellent balance sheet strength, operating performance, and business profile when compared to the standards established by. A.M. Best Company. A.M. Best assigns ratings from A++ to F, A++, and A+ being superior ratings and A and A- being excellent ratings. See ambest.com for our latest rating.
Foresters Financial, Foresters, Helping Is Who We Are, Foresters Care, Foresters Moments, Foresters Renew, Foresters Go, and the Foresters Go logo are trade names and/or trademarks of The Independent Order of Foresters (a fraternal benefit society, 789 Don Mills Road, Toronto, ON, Canada M3C 1T9) and its subsidiaries.
To delve deeper into Foresters Financial’s community-centric projects and benefits, please visit Foresters.com. For a closer look at the transformative role of KaBOOM! in promoting play equity, explore their vibrant initiatives.
About Quility: Quility is an award-winning insurtech company with a commitment to philanthropy and community outreach. Through the company’s digital platform and proprietary technology, Quility has simplified the process of qualifying for and purchasing life insurance. To learn more, visit quility.com.
About Eliada Homes: Established in 1903, Eliada Homes has been helping children succeed for 120 years. Eliada is a non-profit agency that provides childcare, residential mental health programs, foster care services, respite services, and workforce-ready housing assistance for over 400 children and youth.
About KABOOM!:
KABOOM! is the national non-profit committed to ending play space inequity – the reality that quality places to play are not available to every child, especially in communities of color. Since 1996, KABOOM! has partnered with kids and communities to build or improve 17,000+ play spaces and ensure that nearly 12 million kids have equitable access to the crucial benefits and opportunities that play spaces offer. In 2022, KABOOM! launched the 25 in 5 Initiative to End Play space Inequity to accelerate its mission in 25 high-priority locations over five years. Learn more at kaboom.org or join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
422676 US (11/23)
For more information:
Foresters Financial
Melanie Gaskin
(437) 352-4032
Email: MGaskin@foresters.com