Sports fields for students
29 September 2008 (Wilmington, Delaware, USA)
The first Barclays Spaces for Sports-funded facilities in the USA opened today, at a school in Delaware.
We are very blessed to have this magnanimous support from Barclays.
A $500,000 grant from Barclays international community investment programme paid for two new playgrounds, an American football field, baseball diamond and three basketball courts at the East Side Charter School, close to the Barclaycard US head office in Wilmington.
According to the 2007 Wilmington Kids Count fact-book, East Side mirrors the socioeconomic profile of the city: 60 per cent of families are headed by single parents; 31 per cent of children live below the poverty line; and 90 per cent of its pupils receive free or reduced-price lunch.
Barclays has actively supported the school, since 2003, through student mentoring sessions, advice on sensible financial management and sponsorship initiatives to help fund a new computer centre.
"We are very blessed to have this magnanimous support from Barclays", said Charles McDowell, Chairman of the East Side Charter Board.
"Barclays is a company which has continuously played a large role in mentoring our students, educating them about fiscal responsibility and helping them learn and grow in the classroom and now on the playing fields."
More than 200 sustainable sports sites have been created as part of Barclays Spaces for Sports, in the UK, South Africa and now the USA.
