VOORHEES, NJ, Sept. 8, 2014 -- The American Water Charitable Foundation -- a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization created by American Water, the nation's largest publicly-traded water and wastewater utility company -- has provided four grants totaling more than $384,000 to help finance local nature-based play spaces across American Water's nationwide service areas.
The grants are being administered as part of the Foundation's partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) for the Building Better Communities (BBC) signature grant program. NRPA directly administers the program, with funding made possible by the Foundation. The BBC philanthropy initiative is designed to enhance the quality of life in the communities the company serves.
The program is initially focusing on parks, as they are critical to preserving natural resources that have real economic benefits for communities. Specifically, the program concentrates on building or enhancing nature-based playgrounds and natural play spaces for children and will connect and educate people on environmental stewardship practices related to water.
Of the 118 applications received, a total of four projects from within American Water's national service area were selected to receive the grants. The projects were chosen based on several criteria including play value, education value, proximity to American Water's service areas, relevance of the project to the request-for-proposal (RFP) project parameters, use of natural play materials, opportunities for American Water employee volunteer involvement, and construction of an actual children's play area.
The grant recipients includethe City of Belleville, Ill. ($109,000),the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority in Scranton, Pa. ($150,000),the Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park Districtin Camarillo, Calif. ($75,000), and the Brunswick Redevelopment and Revitalization Committeein Brunswick, Mo. ($50,000). Annually, the program aims to support several of these types of projects through grants administered to local communities. Each nature-based play space will be developed via a community partnership dedicated to ongoing stewardship.
See also:
"American Water announces 2014 Environmental Grant Award recipients"
"American Water shares reach 52-week high with strategic acquisitions"
About American Water
Founded in 1886, American Water is the largest publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company. With headquarters in Voorhees, N.J., the company employs approximately 6,700 dedicated professionals who provide drinking water, wastewater and other related services to an estimated 14 million people in more than 30 states as well as parts of Canada. For more information, visit www.amwater.com.
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