24 Hour Fitness Teams Up for New Playground

DESIGNED BY KIDS, BUILT BY VOLUNTEERS: 24 HOUR FITNESS, KaBOOM! AND FUUSA TEAM UP TO BUILD NEW PLAYGROUND IN JUST ONE DAY FOR HOUSTON CHILDREN

What:
More than 200 volunteers from 24 Hour Fitness, Families Under Urban & Social Attack (FUUSA), organizers from KaBOOM! and residents of the Houston third ward community will join forces Saturday, Dec. 13 to build a new, safe playground for local children. The new playground’s design is based on drawings provided by children who attended a Design Day event in October.

Why:
Throughout the month of October, 24 Hour Fitness donated $1 from the monthly dues of Houston area members to KaBOOM! to help build the playground. The new playground will be the first to be located within a mile of the FUUSA center and will provide hundreds of children in the third ward with a safe place to play.
The project is one of more than 215 that KaBOOM! will lead across the country in 2008 in an effort to build a great place to play within walking distance for every child in America.

When:
Saturday, December 13
8:30 AM – Kick off and volunteer deployment
11:00-1:00 PM – Best time to view playground under construction
2:30 PM – Ribbon-cutting ceremony to dedicate new play area
(Note: all times approximate)

Where:
Families Under Urban & Social Attack (FUUSA)
3353 Elgin Street
Houston, TX 77004

Who:
Robert Horry, two-time NBA champion with the Houston Rockets
Hundreds of community volunteers

Visuals:
Before and after shots of the site
Volunteers assembling brightly colored playground equipment
Volunteers moving 42,120 square feet of safety surfacing by hand
Volunteers mixing 15,200 pounds of concrete by hand
Ribbon-cutting ceremony to dedicate the playground

About 24 Hour Fitness

Headquartered in San Ramon, Calif., 24 Hour Fitness, an innovative leader in the health and fitness industry, serves more than 3 million members in more than 425 clubs worldwide. Founded in 1983 as a one-club operation, 24 Hour Fitness pioneered the concept of making fitness accessible, affordable and a way of life for everyone. 24 Hour Fitness has partnered with superstar athletes and celebrities like Magic Johnson, Andre Agassi, Lance Armstrong, Shaquille O’Neal, Jackie Chan, Yao Ming and Derek Jeter to open co-branded clubs around the world. The company demonstrates its leadership through sponsorships like that of the U.S. Olympic Team and a commitment to the community through various charitable and in-kind donations. In addition, 24 Hour Fitness enjoys strategic partnerships with major consumer brands like Coca-Cola and Nike, and for six seasons has partnered with NBC’s popular reality TV show, The Biggest Loser. For more information and to find the location nearest you, visit our contact us page.

About KaBOOM!

KaBOOM! is a national non-profit organization that envisions a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America. Since 1995, KaBOOM! has used its innovative community-build model to bring together business and community interests to construct more than 1,500 new playgrounds, skateparks, sports fields and ice rinks across North America. KaBOOM! also offers a variety of resources, including an online community, regional and national trainings, grants, publications and the KaBOOM! National Campaign for Play, which includes Playful City USA and the Playmaker Network – a national network of individual advocates for play. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., KaBOOM! also has offices in Chicago and San Mateo, Calif. For more information, visit www.kaboom.org.