New YMCA-Symetra Play Park Opens
Partnership Restores Gulf Coast Playground Destroyed By Hurricane Katrina
Ocean Springs, Miss. — (March 28, 2006) — Today, the Blossman YMCA and Symetra
SM Financial officially opened a new play park dedicated to the children of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Over 150 kids turned out to celebrate the park’s opening, which featured an "inaugural playtime" for children in attendance. The
Symetra-Blossman YMCA Park sits on rehabilitated land that was previously devastated by the hurricane. The playground’s opening is the culmination of the Recovering Normalcy project, a business and community partnership formed to help serve the needs of Gulf Coast children impacted by the hurricane.
The Recovering Normalcy project is led by Thomas Galione of Brandon, Miss., who was determined to make a difference for the children of his community after Hurricane Katrina. Amid other large-scale relief efforts originating outside of Mississippi, Galione sought a way to have a more hands-on, direct impact within his home state.
Galione contacted the Blossman YMCA of Ocean Springs, a non-profit organization that had suffered extensive hurricane damage and was suddenly tasked with helping more than 500 kids compared with the approximately 275 children it served before the storm. Galione spearheaded the
Symetra-Blossman YMCA Park restoration, a project chosen because it would benefit many local families, especially children, and could be completed within one year following the hurricane. Symetra Financial, a Bellevue, Wash. company that works closely with Galione’s business–FGK Financial, provided project planning assistance, funding for Recovering Normalcy and the restoration, as well as a team of employees to work on rebuilding the playground.
"My wife, Chassidy, and I are passionate about helping children, so we wanted to start there," said Galione. "Our goal was to make it easier on these kids and give them a break from thinking about the tragedy that surrounded them after the storm. Providing them with something as simple as a clean, safe place to play is an important step toward bringing back a sense of normalcy to our community."
The
Symetra-Blossman YMCA Park sits on about 1.5 acres of YMCA land located on Bienville Boulevard in Ocean Springs, Miss. The park features a large play equipment center provided by American All Fun of Monroe, La., a wide playground, and landscaping that includes a network of walking paths and park benches.
About FGK Financial
FGK Financial is a financial advisory firm specializing in retirement planning, annuities, college savings plans, life insurance, and group benefits. The business is owned by Thomas Galione with locations in Brandon and Gautier, Miss. Please contact (866) 939.8960 for more information.
About the Mississippi Gulf Coast Blossman YMCA
The Mississippi Gulf Coast Blossman YMCA is a non-profit organization committed to building a healthy spirit, mind and body for all. Since its inception in 1975, the Mississippi Gulf Coast Blossman YMCA has been serving the Coast communities from Bay St. Louis to Pascagoula, and from Poplarville to Moss Point and as far north as Lucedale. The YMCA builds strong kids, strong families, and strong communities. For more information, please visit www.msgulfcoast-ymca.org.
About Symetra Financial
Symetra Financial is a family of companies with nearly a half-century of experience providing retirement plans, employee benefits, annuities and life insurance through independent distributors nationwide. The company has nearly $20 billion in assets
1 and is owned by an investor group led by White Mountains Insurance Group Ltd. and Berkshire Hathaway Inc. For more information, visit Symetra Financial's Website at www.symetra.com.
1 Total GAAP assets per closing statements of December 31, 2005
Symetra® and the Symetra Financial logo are registered service marks of Symetra Life Insurance Company, 777 108th Avenue NE, Suite 1200, Bellevue, WA 98004.
