PHILADELPHIA—ARAMARK, a professional services organization and leading concessionaire of parks, resorts and hospitality services, has helped secure a $1 million grant to the National Park Foundation as the initial and lead sponsor of the Foundation’s newly unveiled First Bloom project. First Bloom was created in conjunction with the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, for children to participate in hands-on natural resource protection activities in national parks. The First Bloom project, honoring the work of Lady Bird Johnson, was launched by the National Park Foundation and Honorary Chair, Mrs. Laura Bush.
The donation is the first investment in the First Bloom project and represents the largest donation ever given to the Foundation by the company. The gift will be distributed over a period of 10 years beginning in 2008 and will fund the First Bloom project in five initial cities.
“ARAMARK is proud to support the National Park Foundation and our national parks through the First Bloom project,” says Bruce Fears, president, ARAMARK Harrison Lodging. “Today’s youth represent our future environmental stewards and this program enables us to educate them about the importance of making a connection between the preservation of national parks and protection of their local communities’ natural resources.”
Educational Workshops Planned
Working together, the Foundation and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center will team with the National Parks Service and community organizations, such as Boys and Girls Clubs, to offer workshops about native plants, seed cultivation, and garden design. In national parks, children will learn to identify and remove invasive species, and will return native plants to their homes. Community leaders will work with the National Park Service to help children design nature gardens in their own neighborhoods.
“The First Bloom project will inspire transformational outdoor experiences for our young people,” says Vin Cipolla, president and CEO, National Park Foundation. “This generous contribution means that we can begin working with children and community groups in five cities by spring 2008.”
As an authorized concessionaire for the National Park Service, ARAMARK Parks & Resorts, a division of ARAMARK Harrison Lodging, offers on-site lodging, camping, first-class dining, a variety of recreational activities, interpretive tours, and special events and programs in many national park settings. First Bloom will start in five pilot cities—Austin, Texas, Washington, D.C., New York City, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles—with the goal of spreading across the national park system. The ultimate objective is to give children a sense of pride in natural resources, and to encourage them to be good stewards of national parks.
Go to ARAMARK and the National Park Foundation.
