Getting involved in some manual labor at an elementary school might not be what first comes to mind when contemplating what a multi-platinum, Grammy-winning artist might be doing on a Saturday. Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, however, gladly put in the effort. He is a long-time advocate of inspiring children through education and helps to empower youth to live their dreams through The Ludacris Foundation.
This past weekend, he lent a helping hand to a few more organizations. In conjunction with the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s (EIF) iParticipate and United Healthcare’s “do good. live well.” campaigns, Ludacris joined more than 100 volunteers to build a playground for Venetian Hills Elementary School in Atlanta, Ga. The school has not had a playground for the past 15 years.
Ludacris is a part of a larger initiative to encourage volunteerism and service in our society through iParticipate.
Collaborating with the EIF to build the playground, United Healthcare’s “do good. live well.” initiative strives to instill an active volunteer community among the company’s employees. The campaign focuses on the health benefits of volunteering, including lowering heart rate and blood pressure, raising self-esteem, making friends and possibly even contributing to a longer life.
Together, these groups and volunteers helped KaBOOM, a national nonprofit building play spaces for children, to re-instill playful activity for the students at Venetian Hills. KaBOOM emphasizes the importance of recess in school and joyful playtime in children’s lives. Today’s kids play less and less due to overscheduling, television and video games and not having inviting, fun environments in which to do so. This contributes to obesity, behavioral problems and a lack of social skills.
Through community involvement, the organization helps improve the physical, mental, emotional and social skills of today’s youth.
Photo courtesy of Wireimage.com