FOR THE KID IN ALL OF US AND IHG PRESENT THE 4th ANNUAL BACKPACK IN THE PARK ON SUNDAY, JUNE 28 IN HISTORIC GRANT PARK

Local Non-Profit Invites Atlanta Community to Donate Backpacks and School Supplies for Georgia’s Children in Need

ATLANTA – June 4, 2009 – While Georgia children are just starting on their summer vacation, one local non-profit group is already busy planning for the students’ successful first day back to school in the fall. For the Kid in All of Us is an Atlanta based non-profit with a mission to bring communities together in order to brighten the lives of Georgia’s children in need. Again this summer, the group will host a major benefit event to support area school students who lack the necessary supplies to begin their new school year. The 4th annual Backpack in the Park, a community picnic and back-to-school benefit event, seeks to top last year’s record when more than 900 backpacks, filled with school supplies, and gift cards were collected.

This year, Backpack in the Park will be held on Sunday, June 28 from 4 – 8 p.m. at the Pavilions in Atlanta’s Historic Grant Park. In addition to complimentary food and beverages, the family-friendly event will have fun activities for people of all ages. To attend, please bring a new unwrapped backpack containing items from a preset list or a gift card valued at $30 or more. For a complete, printable list of school supplies to include in each backpack, visit www.FortheKid.org.

“Starting the school year on the right foot, with all of the necessary school supplies, is as fundamental as reading and writing,” said Frank Bragg, president of For the Kid in All of Us. The all volunteer non-profit organization produces both Backpack in the Park in the summer, as well as the annual Toy Party in December. The Toy Party has grown into one of the most fun and highly anticipated events of Atlanta’s holiday season. Last year’s Toy Party hosted more than 4,000 guests and collected more than 5,000 toys and gift cards that were donated to several Atlanta area organizations during the holiday season.

According to the UGA Initiative on Poverty and the Economy, in 2003 there were over 496,000 children under the age of 18 living in poverty in the state of Georgia, of which over 150,000 living in the metro Atlanta area. Many of these children dread the beginning of school every August as their families lack the financial resources to provide them with even the basic supplies they will need to do well. Without a sound education, most will face a more difficult future.

Students at Camp Horizon, Cool Girls, MEGA Family Project, Nicholas House and Clayton County’s Hendrix Drive Elementary School are the designated beneficiaries for the 2009 Backpack in the Park.

Sponsors for Backpack in the Park include Presenting Sponsor Intercontinental Hotels Group, Media Sponsors David Magazine and Southern Voice, Georgia Beverage Association, Diageo, Cook’s Warehouse, Metrotainment Cafes and On the Border Mexican Restaurant.

For more information, to become a patron of For the Kid in All of Us, or a sponsor of Backpack in the Park, go to www.ForTheKid.org.

About For the Kid in All of Us:

For the Kid in All of Us, www.ForTheKid.org, was founded in 2003 by a group of friends seeking to make a difference in their local community. Recognizing the staggering number of underprivileged children in Atlanta and in Georgia, the group sought not only to raise awareness, but also to lessen the struggles of families and children during the winter holiday season. What resulted from their vision and efforts was The Toy Party, an annual event where gays, lesbians, and the gay-friendly community in Atlanta could come together to support a cause that affects children across Georgia.

In 2006, For the Kid in All of Us expanded its scope and added a second annual event, Backpack in the Park, a back-to school benefit, to collect backpacks and school supplies.

Since 2003, For the Kid in All of Us has distributed more than 22,700 toys and gift cards through The Toy Party, 2,100 backpacks, filled with school supplies, and gift cards through Backpack in the Park, and raised nearly $450,000 to donate to numerous agencies and organizations serving Georgia’s less fortunate children.

The Board of For the Kid in All of Us, the organizer of The Toy Party and Backpack in the Park, includes President Frank Bragg, Metrotainment Cafes, Inc.; President-Elect Jorge Esteban, AT&T Treasurer Alison Hall, Suntrust; Secretary Carl McClary; Michael Whaley, Delta Airlines; Joel Harlow, The Home Depot; Bill Philbrick, CARE; Eric Bryant, Carat; Joe Bechely, FirstData; Jantzen Inada; Paul Wolski, Alter Ego Pop Art; Chris Bess, Cardiomems; David DiCorpo, Cook’s Warehouse; Scott Phelan, On the Border Mexican Restaurant; Joaquin Casajuana, Pollard Banknote Limited; Andrea Criste, Clayton County Public Schools; Bryan Ferris, General Electric; Brigid Scarborough.

In addition to the 18 Board Members, Advisory Board Members include: For the Kid in All of Us Co-Founder & Past President Alex Wan, Optima, Inc.; Angie Buysse; Tony Conway, A Legendary Event; Glen Paul Freedman, City of Atlanta; Nick Gold, Gold Concepts Public Relations; Tony Nelson, Corporate Environments; and Kevin Perry, Georgia Beverage Association.

About Camp Horizon:

Since 1982, Camp Horizon has been changing the lives of over 500 children and teens who have been abused and neglected. What initially began as a summer weekend retreat 25 years ago has turned into year-round programs for children and teens that have been placed in the care of the state. Since its inception, Camp Horizon has inspired hundreds of children to believe in and create for themselves a new day, a better day, on the horizon.

About Cool Girls:

Cool Girls (CG) empowers under resourced girls to reduce cycles of teen pregnancy, and overcome barriers of racism and sexism, through a holistic approach. Our award winning after school programs help girls to achieve academic success and graduate high school. We have been a direct service agency in the communities where our girls live for 20 years. Today, we partner with Title 1 schools to provide motivation, encouragement, and reinforcement to help girls make smart choices that deter risky behaviors while giving guidance for positive transformation. CG develops bonds with our girls, and their parents, giving support as early as 8 years old until womanhood.

About MEGA Family Project:

The MEGA Family Project is a nonpartisan, statewide organization dedicated to providing support, education, and advocacy work on behalf of LGBT families. MEGA puts on monthly educational and social activities to strengthen the LGBT Family Community in Georgia. The MEGA Family Project has thousands of members throughout the state of Georgia who support our mission and vision of strengthening LGBT families.

About Nicholas House:

For almost 30 years, Nicholas House has kept homeless families together by providing a temporary place to live and addressing the root causes of their homelessness, so they never become homeless again. Since 1982 we’ve helped over 1800 families become self-sufficient, and ended the cycle of poverty for their children who make up 70% of our participants.

For More Information Contact:
Nick Gold/Gold Concepts Public Relations
404-869-7960 (office); 404-775-9375 (cell)
Ngold@GoldConceptsPR.com

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