Home Depot Center News

Los Angeles Galaxy Foundation, The Home Depot Center Charitable Foundation and The Home Depot to build Reading Garden on Earth Day

CARSON, Calif. (Friday, April 16, 2010) - The Los Angeles Galaxy Foundation, The Home Depot Center Charitable Foundation and The Home Depot announced today that Stephen C. Foster Elementary School in Compton, Calif., is the winner of the 2010 Reading Garden Challenge and as a result will have a Reading Garden built on the campus of their school.

Elementary schools from Carson, Compton, Gardena, Long Beach, Lomita, Lynwood, Torrance and the Beach cities' had the opportunity to participate in the 2010 Reading Garden Challenge. The Challenge was supported by the National Education Association's (NEA) Lorax Student Earth Day and encouraged schools and students (grades K-5) to focus on Earth Day by reading Dr. Seuss' The Lorax and answering the Challenge Questions for the opportunity to have a Reading Garden built at their school.

There will be four days of activities at Stephen C. Foster Elementary School with preparations beginning on Monday, April 19 with an Earth Day Planting clinic for students with seeds donated by the America the Beautiful Fund. On Tuesday, April 20, there will be a clinic for students to paint pots and build birdhouses to be displayed in the Reading Garden. Meanwhile, on Wednesday April 21, supplies and materials will be delivered and the final preparations completed for the Reading Garden build.

The week will culminate, on Earth Day, Thursday, April 22, with more than 80 volunteers from the LA Galaxy, Home Depot stores throughout the area, The Home Depot Center, and the NEA along with Stephen C. Foster Elementary School students building planters, installing arches and benches and planting flowers.

\"We are pleased to once again partner with The Home Depot and The Home Depot Center Charitable Foundation to build a reading garden at Stephen C. Foster Elementary School and help instill and encourage a lifelong joy of reading for the students,\" said Gloria King, Director of the LA Galaxy Foundation. \"We are thrilled to have the NEA join us for this year's Reading Challenge and build.\"

The Reading Garden is funded with proceeds from the 2009 How Suite It Is! fundraiser and a generous donation from The Home Depot.

\"The Home Depot recognizes and embraces a strong commitment to invest in children. Our partnership again this year with Los Angeles Galaxy Foundation and The Home Depot Center Charitable Foundation in building this reading garden is one way we are delivering on that promise, working to help more children grow and learn together in a safe, healthy environment,\" said Sherry Caraway, Community Affairs Manager of The Home Depot. \"We are proud of our associates who have spent hundreds of volunteer hours working to revitalize Stephen C. Foster Elementary School. They have made an impact that will be felt by children for generations to come.\"

Additional contributions were made by the America the Beautiful Fund, who donated seeds for the Earth Day Planting Clinic, the National Education Association's Lorax Student Earth Day, and Panera Bread Carson and Torrance.

On Saturday, August 28, the Los Angeles Galaxy Foundation and The Home Depot Center Charitable Foundation will host the 2010 How Suite It Is! fundraiser prior to the Galaxy's home game against the Kansas City Wizards to raise funds for additional reading gardens.

About Los Angeles Galaxy Foundation:

The LA Galaxy Foundation is dedicated to assisting the community in which we live and work. The Galaxy Foundation strives to support and create educational, health and recreational activities and programs for children, with a specific focus on aiding disadvantaged and at-risk youth. Through fundraisers, programming and partnerships with committed organizations, the Galaxy Foundation is working to improve the lives of youth and make a positive impact in the community.

About The Home Depot Center Charitable Foundation

The Home Depot Center Charitable Foundation was established to provide financial and in-kind support for educational, recreational and social service programs which improve the lives of young people in the Greater Southern California region. The Home Depot Center Charitable Foundation has given more than $500,000 to youth organizations since The Home Depot Center opened in 2003.

About The Home Depot:

As the world's largest home improvement retailer, The Home Depot embraces its role as a leader in social responsibility and celebrates its long-standing commitment to volunteerism. The Home Depot's associate volunteer program, Team Depot, was formalized in 1992 as a way to support the communities where the associates live and work. By providing expert advice, tools and financial assistance, The Home Depot associates are helping meet the critical needs in the communities.

Contact:

Galaxy Communications
Patrick Donnelly (310) 630-2214
Justin Pearson (310) 630-2216
Jaime Cárdenas (310) 630-2215