--Dwight Howard and Carlos Arroyo to lend a helping hand in KaBOOM! playground build--

Dwight Howard, Carlos Arroyo and more than 150 other volunteers from the Orlando Magic, the Central Florida Leased Housing Corp., organizers from KaBOOM! and residents of the Winter Park community will join forces on March 7 to build a new, safe playground at the Santa Barbara Apartments. Ace Hardware, Dunkin Donuts, Papa John’s, Gatorade, Pepsi and Hard Rock will also assist in the day.

The new playground’s design is based on drawings provided by children who attended a design day event in December. Along with the Magic and KaBoom! Ace Hardware, Dunkin Donuts, Papa John’s, Gatorade, Pepsi and Hard Rock each recorded an assist with the event.

Building will begin at 8:30 a.m. and the ribbon cutting ceremony will take place at approximately 2:30 p.m.

The new playground will provide hundreds of children from the Santa Barbara Apartments and the surrounding Winter Park community with a safe place to play.

The play space is the second built by KaBOOM! and the Magic, the third by KaBOOM! and Central Florida Leased Housing Corp. and one of more than 225 KaBOOM! will lead across the country in 2008 in an effort to provide a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America.

Orlando Magic
Orlando’s NBA franchise since 1989, the Magic annually gives more than $2 million to the local community by way of sponsorships of events, donated tickets, autographed merchandise, scholarships and grants. Orlando Magic community relations programming impact an estimated 75,000 kids annually. Over the last 18 years, nearly $14 million has been raised and distributed to local non-profit community organizations via The Orlando Magic Youth Foundation. OMYF, a fund of the McCormick Tribune Foundation, focuses on helping every child in Central Florida realize their full potential, especially those most at risk, by supporting programs and partnerships that empower families and change lives. Ticket highlights for 2007-08 include: a franchise-most 8,417 seats priced $25 or under per game, a $25 lower bowl ticket, and for the 10th straight year, tickets priced at $10 per game. For ticket information, log on to orlandomagic.com or call 407-89-MAGIC. Through NBA CARES, the league, players and teams will raise and contribute $100 million for charity, donate more than 1 million hours of hands-on volunteer service to communities worldwide, and build more than 100 places where kids can learn and play over the next five years.

Central Florida Leased Housing Corp.
Central Florida Leased Housing Corporation is a sole subsidiary 501c3 non-profit of the Housing Authority of the City of Winter Park. Since inception in 1970, the Housing Authority has increased housing options for hundreds of families, including seniors. The Authority owns and operates more than 700 units of affordable housing in an affluent community. Its mission is to a quality living environment while assisting residents to become economically self-sufficient and independent.

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 1,300 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, Atlanta and San Mateo, CA. For more information, visit www.kaboom.org.