Playgrounds Increase Sense Of Family Well-Being

Foresters announces $7 million partnership with non-profit KaBOOM! to build playgrounds in US and Canada

TORONTO, ON & WASHINGTON, DC, June 2, 2011–The more time a family spends together at a community playground, the greater their sense of family well-being, according to a recent study conducted by Harris Interactive, and commissioned by ForestersTM, a life insurance provider committed to the well-being of families. The study includes the views of over 1,100 parents of 2-12 year-old children in the United States to learn more about the role of community playgrounds in the current state of family time and family well-being.

The study shows that time spent at a community playground is valuable to American families, with 77% of parents agreeing that spending more time at a playground increases a family’s sense of well-being.  Almost unanimously, 95% of parents agree that the more time a family spends together being active, the better their sense of family well-being. Three-quarters also wish their family had time to visit a playground more often.

Foresters has invested $7 million with KaBOOM!, a non-profit organization dedicated to saving play, to build community playgrounds. Over their 15 year lifespan, these playgrounds will provide more than 2.6 million children and their families with the opportunity to spend quality time together.  In addition to building playgrounds with KaBOOM!, Foresters is a member of the Leadership Circle within the KaBOOM! National Partner Program.  National Partner program members invest in programs which have a nation-wide impact on the health and well-being of children and families.

"By building playgrounds, Foresters provides opportunities for families to spend quality time together, playing, learning and having fun," said Kasia Czarski, Chief Membership and Marketing Officer at Foresters. "Over the next three years, Foresters has committed to building over 60 playgrounds throughout North America in addition to the 32 already built prior to 2011."

In addition to promoting family well-being, the playgrounds KaBOOM! builds help solve the Play Deficit, a national problem concerning the physical and mental health of children.  KaBOOM! is saving play by working to ensure that every child has a great place to play within walking distance of their home.  KaBOOM! also virtually maps the national state of play and advocates for great places to play.

KaBOOM! Founder and CEO Darell Hammond said, "KaBOOM! appreciates Foresters support in our fight against Play Deficit.  Not only is the investment in playgrounds an investment in family well-being, but it’s also an investment in the long-term health and success of our children.  Today's kids aren't getting the play they need to develop their bodies and minds, and Foresters understand that for children and their families play isn’t a luxury, it’s an absolute necessity."

Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom by Harris Interactive on behalf of Foresters between January 10, 2011 and January 25, 2011 among a total of 3,500 parents of 2-12 year olds (1,103 in the United States, 1,197 in Canada and 1,200 in the United Kingdom). Data were weighted where necessary to key demographic variables to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. No estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. A full methodology is available.

About Foresters
Founded in 1874 as a fraternal benefit society, ForestersTM champions the well-being of families through quality life insurance, unique member benefits and inspiring community activities. Foresters shares its financial strength with more than 835,000 members in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Unity Life of Canada‡, a wholly owned subsidiary of Foresters, represents Foresters in Canada. For more information, please visit www.foresters.com.

ForestersTM is a trademark of The Independent Order of Foresters, a fraternal benefit society, Toronto, Canada M3C 1T9.
‡ Unity Life of Canada, a Foresters company, is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Independent Order of Foresters

About KaBOOM!
KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated to saving play.  Children today spend less time playing outdoors than any previous generation, a fact that is having disastrous consequences on their health, achievement levels, and overall well-being.  To fight this Play Deficit, social entrepreneur Darell Hammond founded non-profit KaBOOM! 15 years ago in Washington, D.C. with a vision of creating a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America.  Since then, KaBOOM! has mapped over 85,000 places to play, built almost 2,000 playgrounds, and successfully advocated for play policies in hundreds of cities across the country.  KaBOOM! also provides communities with online tools to self-organize and take action to support play on a both a local and national level.  Headquartered in Washington, D.C., KaBOOM! also has offices in Chicago and San Mateo, Calif. For more information, visit www.kaboom.org.

About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is one of the world’s leading custom market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers expertise in a wide range of industries including healthcare, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Serving clients in over 215 countries and territories through our North American, European, and Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us – and our clients – stay ahead of what’s next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Nadia Fiore
Foresters
416 429 3000 X4763
1 800 461 8431 X4763 Toll-free (NA)
nfiore@foresters.com 

Alison Risso
KaBOOM!
202.464.6186
Arisso@kaboom.org