Keeping Plantation, Fla. One of the Nation's 100 Best Communities for Young People;...

Keeping Plantation, Fla. One of the Nation's 100 Best Communities for Young
People; Local Dealership and Chrysler LLC Team Up With KaBOOM! to Build New
Playground at Fig Tree Park
- Massey-Yardley Chrysler Jeep(R) dealership employees spearhead effort to
provide a safe place for neighborhood children to play

PLANTATION, Fla., June 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite downpours of rain and
intermittent lightning, more than 200 volunteers from Massey-Yardley Chrysler
Jeep(R), The Chrysler Foundation, the city of Plantation, organizers from
KaBOOM! and residents of the community joined forces today to build a new and
secure playground at Fig Tree Park in Plantation, Fla.
Herb Yardley, Dealer Principal - Massey-Yardley Chrysler Jeep, led the
volunteers in building a state-of-the-art playground to serve the needs of the
community. The new playground will provide more than 15,000 children in the
community with a safe and enjoyable place to play.
"Every child should have access to a play area that is safe and encourages
physical activity," Yardley said. "This new playground, designed by local
children and built by volunteers, is a small part of our long-term commitment
to the Plantation community."
Massey-Yardley Chrysler Jeep became involved in this project because it is
committed to the belief that strong communities start with safe and happy
neighborhoods where children and families can live, play and grow together.
Planning for the playground began at a Design Day held in May. Local
children and community leaders met with organizers from KaBOOM! and Chrysler
to develop their "dream" playground. The children's drawings were used to
create the final playground design.
"We are proud to have been chosen by KaBOOM! to receive this honor," said
Rae Carole Armstrong, Mayor - Plantation. "Thanks to the vision, planning and
hard work of our elected officials and city staff, our crowning achievement
has historically been our parks and recreation facilities. The legacy that
Massey Yardley and Chrysler, will leave at Fig Tree Park is a wonderful
addition to our parks system, and will provide a place for children to play,
and for families to connect, long into the future."
The project is the fourth of 25 playgrounds scheduled to be built across
the country by KaBOOM!, The Chrysler Foundation, Chrysler Financial and
Chrysler, Jeep or Dodge dealerships and is expected to provide more than
30,000 children with a great place to play each year. The playground is also
one of more than 225 builds KaBOOM! will lead across the country in 2008, in
an effort to provide an enjoyable place to play within walking distance of
every child in America.
"KaBOOM! is committed to bringing play back to the neighborhood one
playground at a time," said Darell Hammond, CEO and Co-founder - KaBOOM!.
"Every child deserves a place to run, jump, have fun and just be a kid. We are
proud to work with Chrysler to give the children in Fig Tree Park a great
place to play."
America's Promise Alliance, the nation's largest alliance dedicated to
children and youth, in partnership with Capital One, had announced Plantation,
Fla. as one of its 2008 100 Best Communities for Young People (100 Best)
competition. The 100 Best competition recognizes the 100 outstanding
communities across America -- large and small, rural and urban -- that are the
best places for young people to live and grow up. More than 300 communities in
all 50 states applied for the honor this year. The 100 winning communities
span 37 states.
Massey Yardley Chrysler Jeep
Massey Yardley is one of Florida's leading family-owned and operated
automotive dealerships and has been serving Broward County for 41 years. The
company was founded in 1967 by Herb Yardley who along with sons Warren and
John, have Chrysler dealerships in Plantation and Hobe Sound, Fla.
The Chrysler Foundation
The Chrysler Foundation is the primary source of charitable grants made by
Chrysler LLC. The Foundation annually supports hundreds of charitable
organizations with an emphasis on community growth and enrichment, arts and
culture, education and youth development programs throughout the United States
and, increasingly, the world. The Foundation's Good Neighbor, Good Citizen(R)
programs make a positive, lasting investment in local communities where our
employees, customers and neighbors live. Visit www.thechryslerfoundation.com.
About the City of Plantation
The City of Plantation was incorporated in April of 1953. During the past
55 years, the city has expanded into a growing, vibrant urban municipality, 22
square miles in size, with a residential population exceeding 85,000. For more
information on the city of Plantation, please visit its website,
www.Plantation.org.
Plantation's natural environment is unsurpassed by other South Florida
cities. It has been recognized for the past 27 consecutive years, as "Tree
City USA" and is one of only a handful of cities in the nation to be
designated a "Sterling Tree City USA." Situated among thousands of trees are
world-class recreation facilities, a stable business community supported by
three distinct business districts, and safe, friendly neighborhoods.
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 1,400 new playgrounds, skate parks,
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.
SOURCE Chrysler LLC

Christina Biache, Chrysler, +1-248-512-9414 (office), +1-586-243-1569 (cell),
CB514@chrysler.com; or Mike Vietti, KaBOOM!, +1-202-464-6076 (office),
+1-202-327-0086 (cell), mvietti@kaboom.org; or Susan DiLaura, City of
Plantation, +1-954-797-2227 (office), +1-954-648-7217 (cell),
sdilaura@plantation.org