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CenturyLink South Dakota

News

QWEST FOUNDATION'S $50,000 GRANT MAKES "QWEST" FOR PLAY A REALITY FOR RAPID CITY RESIDENTS

Local Students to Select Equipment and Design Playground Area at Vickie Powers Memorial Park

RAPID CITY, S.D., April 21, 2008 – The new homes and businesses that continue to spring up north of Interstate Highway 90 have made the area one of Rapid City’s fastest-growing communities. And with a $50,000 grant from the CenturyLink Foundation, announced today, the Rapid City Department of Parks and Recreation aims to bring the area’s residents a new playground to satisfy their “qwest” for play.

The CenturyLink Foundation’s donation will fund the “CenturyLink for Play” playground facility in the proposed Vickie Powers Memorial Park. Once built, Vickie Powers Park will be the only city park located north of I-90, and will provide new recreational activities for individuals and families of all ages.

“Rapid City is a wonderful place to live and work, and the addition of the CenturyLink for Play playground at Vickie Powers Memorial Park makes it that much better,” said CenturyLink South Dakota President Larry Toll. “We hope this grant will not only make the park an enjoyable place for people to relax, but also engage the city’s students in real-world experience in design and construction.”

The CenturyLink for Play playground has been designated as a community-build project and volunteers from the community will have the opportunity to participate in the playground’s construction. Students from area elementary and middle schools will select playground equipment, and high-school students will help the park’s contractor engineer the design and draft the playground’s layout. In addition, members of the South Dakota chapter of the CenturyLink Pioneers will help with the playground’s construction.

“CenturyLink has a strong reputation for funding community projects in South Dakota, and we are thrilled to partner with them on the new playground,” said Jerry Cole, director of the Rapid City Department of Parks and Recreation. “The community-build aspect of the park lets Rapid City residents have a hand in bringing the park to life, and we’ve found that children and adults alike appreciate that opportunity.”

Today at 10 a.m., Toll will present a $50,000 grant check to Rapid City Mayor Alan Hanks, Parks and Recreation Director Jerry Cole, and city council members Ron Kroeger and Lloyd LaCroix. The event will take place at the planned Vickie Powers park site—one mile north of Lowes on Haines Avenue, then west on Kathryn Street.

About the CenturyLink Foundation:

The CenturyLink Foundation's core principle is that investing in people and communities provides lasting value for the future. The CenturyLink Foundation awards grants to community-based programs that generate high-impact and measurable results, focusing on pre-K through grade 12 education.

Contacts:
  • CenturyLink Contact:
  • Johnna Hoff
  • CenturyLink Communications
  • o: 303-896-7987
  • c: 720-218-0112
  • johnna.hoff@qwest.com
  • Parks and Recreation Contact
  • Jeri Taton
  • Rapid City Department of Parks and Recreation
  • o: 605-394-5225
  • jeri.lynn@rcgov.org
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